Much Ado About Everything
by Thomas Mc
Summary: A reporter gets too close to Catherine's secret. F.B.I Agent James McClendon gets closer to the secret as well. Meanwhile, the pairings of other members of Catherine's circle of friends continues to develop, as she tries arranging the adoption of Naomi
1. The Reporter Returns

**Much Ado About Everything****  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
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**Chapter 1: ****The Reporter Returns**

Catherine was glancing through the mail when she found a letter addressed to Catherine and Vincent and it was from Derry, Ireland. She immediately tore it open and started to read as Vincent came up behind her and read over her shoulder.

o - - - - - o

_Dearest Catherine and Vincent,_

_It's been a while and I was just thinking about you and_  
_Vincent. My newest book is ready for release and I am_  
_going to be coming to New York in two weeks to talk to_  
_my American publishers about a new book deal. I would_  
_love to see you and Vincent while I'm there and maybe_  
_see the children. I am also looking forward to seeing_  
_Joe again and meeting Samantha. So much has happened_  
_in your life since my last visit to New York. Hope to see_  
_all of you soon._

_- Love Brigit_

o - - - - - o

Catherine looked up at Vincent. "Well we'll definitely have a lot of new things to show her when she arrives."

"It will be interesting." Vincent replied. "I wonder what the new book will be about?"

"Do you think she wrote that sequel she threatened to write after hearing about my pregnancy?" Catherine asked with a laugh.

"You never know." He replied.

~ x x x x x ~

Thomas Johnson added in the latest developments to his article about the Geonelly case. His article was nearly finished. All he needed was a quote or two from the D.A. office and he could send it in. He leaned back in his chair and stretched.

He glanced at his cluttered desk. There were several folders laying there, the top three were labeled Catherine Chandler, Joseph Maxwell and Geonelly Gang. Catherine and Joseph had been prominently featured in the prosecution of the gang. Under Joe's folder was one labeled Diana Bennett. She had been deeply involved in the original investigation.

Joseph Maxwell's file was pretty thick with all his articles and research notes about Joe's illustrious career in the District Attorney's Office. His rise to top man after the fall of Moreno and all the corruption cases two years ago had generated a lot of good hard hitting news.

The folder on Diana Bennett was the thinnest. She was a bit of an enigma. She generally worked in the background and tended to avoid publicity. He knew that she was very good at what she did and the police would turn to her when they had a particularly tough case that they couldn't solve.

Catherine's folder was thick with articles he had written about her. He had been an admirer of hers for years, ever since he had written that first big article about when she had been mugged and gotten her face badly slashed up. She had a reputation of being tough as nails in the courtroom and when investigating a new case.

After a few minutes, Thomas reached into the back of his file draw and pulled out the very last unmarked hanging folder. He set it down on his desk and for several seconds he just stared at the closed folder. Finally he opened it up.

On top was an old article he had written his first year as a reporter. It had been a fluff piece about the urban myths of New York. About two thirds of the way down the article was a single paragraph about what had been, back then, one of the lesser known legends. It had been labeled The Creature of Central Park.

He flipped through the rest of the items. Most of them involved references to the Central Park Creature or to unexplained occurrences in the Central Park area.

The last item was a single sheet of notebook paper. At the top was the words 'People who are supposed to have seen the Central Park Creature first hand:'. The last three names on the list were 'Catherine Chandler, Diana Bennett and Thomas Johnson,' all highlighted in yellow marker.

He stared at his name at the bottom of the list and thought back to that evening. He had been tracking a story about black market babies and tracing Catherine Chandler because of her involvement in the investigation. He had stumbled onto her very secretive pregnancy. Then she was no longer pregnant but there was no child in evidence. Late one evening, shortly after she was apparently no longer pregnant, she had gone jogging in the park. He had followed her in an attempt get the inside story on what he had mistakenly assumed was part of an undercover investigation. Just after being told that there was no story, he and Catherine had found themselves surrounded by a street gang and he had been injured in the initial moments of the attack.

Then out of nowhere the honest-to-god real life, Creature of Central Park had showed up roaring and flinging the gang members aside like they were nothing. At that same instant Detective Diana Bennett had rushed in from the opposite direction. The uninjured thugs had run off and Thomas had stared terrified at the frightening apparition before him. Then to his total surprise it turned out that both women had known the creature and actually spoke to it; telling it to get out of there before the cops arrived. Afterward both Diana and Catherine had simply denied the creature's existence. The official report just labeled it 'a very large unidentified Good Samaritan'. He had been left with the story of the decade, and nothing to back it up.

He pictured again that scene in his mind. Diana was very surprised that the creature had shown up when it did, but she was totally un-phased by its physical appearance. Catherine had not even been surprised. He remembered its eyes. They were the most amazing color of blue and there was intelligence in them. Its attack had not been random; it had intentionally showed up to save them from that gang. He mused to himself as he again looked at the last three names on that list trying to make some sense of it.

It hit him like a baseball bat in the face. Catherine Chandler had gone jogging **alone** in the park after dark, despite the danger. She had not been surprised because she had **expected** that creature to be there. She might have even been **planning** to meet the creature, but he had showed up asking questions and probably prevented that meeting from happening.

~ x x x x x ~

Catherine looked up from her desk to be faced with the, unfortunately, familiar newspaper reporter Thomas Johnson, standing over her. "I am a little bit swamped here." She felt no need to conceal her feelings and allowed her annoyance to show through. Sometimes she thought of him as her very own personal pest.

Thomas Johnson merely grinned back. "Isn't that standard operating conditions in the D.A.'s office?" He shot back.

She set her pencil down with an exasperated sigh. "What can I do for you Mister Johnson?"

He placed a tiny recorder on her desk as he responded amiably to her abrasive demeanor. "I just wanted to know how things are going on the Geonelly case. I heard about what happened Friday when some of his goons attacked you, Maxwell and the other two investigators in your homes." He paused to glance at his notebook. "Has this latest incident had any effect on your case?" He paused expectantly.

Catherine took a deep breath to get her annoyance under control and think out her answer. "You know that I can't comment on any ongoing cases, Mr. Johnson."

"Four members of the New York District Attorney's office were attacked Friday night by members of the Geonelly gang. One group actually broke into Joe Maxwell's apartment and had him and his girlfriend cornered when the police arrived. Surely you have something to say about that." Thomas pressed.

"Like you said, the police showed up and the gang members involved were arrested. As you already know, because of this event, the prosecutor's office has moved to have the bail for all involved parties revoked on grounds that they attempted to intimidate participants in this case." She smiled at him. She knew that she had given him at least two good quotes for his article. "That is all I'm allowed to say at the moment. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Well, thank you for your time Miss Chandler." He shut off the recorder and popped the tape out of it then stuffed it in his pocket. With an easygoing attitude he sat on the edge of her desk. "You could satisfy my curiosity about something."

Catherine gazed at him noncommittally, saying nothing.

"Just how long have you known the Creature of Central Park and how did you first meet him?" Thomas asked amiably.

Catherine stared at him coolly. "I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about." She picked up her pencil and looked down at the brief she had been working on, effectively dismissing him. "Now if we are done here, I have work to do." Her heart was beating faster as she remembered the near disaster with that other reporter, Spirco. This reporter was much better and smarter than Spirco had been and it scared her that he was still interested in Vincent. For a few seconds there was silence as she kept her eyes on her brief, wishing he would go away, but he remained perched on the edge of her desk.

Just as she was about to ask him, very pointedly, to leave, he spoke again. "I do have one other question." She looked up and was surprised when he snatched up the new picture frame from her desk, the look on his face just as surprised as she felt. "Is that creature really the father of your child?" Her heart thumped in her chest as her eyes grew wide as he continued. "The eyes don't lie." She felt the fear constricting her chest, squeezing the breath from her as he turned the picture towards her. "I've only seen that color once before, in the eyes of a certain 'Good Samaritan' late one night in Central Park."

For a second she sat there frozen in panic, then she snatched the picture back from him and shoved it into a drawer. "I think we are done here." She remarked coldly. If looks could freeze, Thomas Johnson would have become a human popsicle.

"Miss Chandler, I need to see you for a moment in my office." They were both startled by the unexpected presence of Joe Maxwell, standing just behind Thomas and scowling at him. "My secretary will give you a copy of our latest press release."

"If you will excuse me." Catherine got shakily to her feet, locked her drawer, and followed Joe to his office.

As soon as Joe closed his office door, Catherine collapsed onto his sofa with her face in her hands and surrendered to a case of the shakes. Joe closed the blinds on his inside office window and sat down next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Are you OK Cathy?" He paused, taking a deep breath and giving her shoulders a squeeze. "I caught the tail end of that. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Oh Joe, that was so stupid of me. I didn't think it could hurt to have a picture of Jennifer on my desk. Most of the office already knew that I had a daughter, so what did it matter." She looked up at Joe, the worry clearly showing in her eyes.

"He has nothing but supposition and guess work, Cathy." Joe responded. "He's not going to jeopardize his career over that." He paused a moment studying her face, then nodded. "Hang on a minute." Joe turned to his phone and dialed a number.

"This is Joe Maxwell. Who is this?" . . .

"Jamie, if Vincent is still there tell him that Cathy is OK and not to worry." . . .

"Ah, Vincent. That reporter Thomas Johnson just made a few good guesses, and gave Cathy a bit of a scare is all." . . .

"You're welcome. By the way I just wanted to tell you that Sammy and I really enjoyed meeting your mother and brother and I'm glad that you were able to find them. They both appear to be very nice people.". . .

"I know, I'll keep an eye on her for you. Good-bye." . . .

He hung up the phone. "Cathy why don't you knock off a bit early today. You can spend a little extra time with your kids and your new mother-in-law. You'll feel much better for it tomorrow morning."

~ o ~

Thomas watched Catherine follow Joe to his office. He had considered that highly unlikely scenario once before and rejected it as ridiculous. Then he had spotted the picture of Catherine's daughter on her desk and had nearly fallen over when the connection to the eye color hit him. He had made the suggestion almost without thinking to see how she handled it. He had expected a reaction from her, but he had not expected it to hit her this hard. Her reaction had certainly confirmed his guess. He found himself wondering why the normally unflappable Catherine Chandler had reacted so strongly to the question. It wasn't like he could prove anything. Could there be something else going on here that he didn't know about?

Then he began wondering about Joe Maxwell's interruption. How much had he heard? How much did he know? Thomas shook his head. This was going to require more thought. Something about his questions had really upset her. Maybe there was a lot more here than he had originally suspected. Especially if the child in that picture really was involved.

After Joe closed the blinds in his office Thomas stuffed his notebook in his pocket and headed out of the D.A. office. He had some serious research to do.

~ o ~

Catherine returned to her desk and after a moment's hesitation took the picture of her daughter out of her drawer. She gazed lovingly at the face of her daughter, so much like her own mother. Maybe it had been a mistake to bring it to work.

It had seemed so harmless. Word had begun to spread that she had given birth to a daughter so it made sense to have a picture of Jennifer on her desk. It had never occurred to her that someone could use it to make a connection between herself and Vincent. It was too late to change that now. Finally in an act of defiance she firmly placed the picture of her daughter back in its accustomed position on her desk.

She gathered her purse and her jacket and headed out of the office.

~ o ~

Joe watched Catherine leave the office, a worried frown on his face. This reporter could turn into a serious problem. Cathy and Vincent had already gone through hell a couple of years ago when that Spirco character had gone after them.

He couldn't legally stop that reporter from printing whatever he wanted without straining his ethics. There really wasn't much he could do if Thomas got too close, other than warn Cathy so that she and Vincent could disappear.

Joe decided to look a little deeper into this Thomas Johnson and see what he could find out about him. He wasn't about to leave Cathy to deal with this on her own. If there was any way he could help, he would do it. He cared too much for both Cathy and Vincent to let them go through this alone.

~ o ~

Thomas went back to his newspaper's morgue and pulled everything he could find on Catherine Chandler, unexplained animal attacks, and the Creature of Central Park. In the end he didn't come up with much more than he had the first time he had done this nearly seven months ago. Except for two additional possible deaths that might have been linked to Catherine Chandler and that creature. They had been two very bad men masquerading as motorcycle cops.

If this had involved the creature then it seemed pretty obvious that he must have been protecting Catherine from two very dangerous human monsters. This article also led him to the identity of the deceased reporter, named Spirco, who had written it. There was nothing to indicate how else he might have been involved; only that he had been interested in Catherine Chandler at the time of his death. Thomas decided that it might be informative to see what more he could find out about this Spirco character.

_**Continued in Part 2**_

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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	2. The Reporter’s Sister

**Much Ado About Everything****  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
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**Chapter 2: ****The Reporter's Sister**

Vincent was waiting for her when Catherine got home. For a while they just sat together on the sofa and Vincent held her and offered her love and comfort. He could feel the _turmoil_ of her emotions and wanted to ask her about what had happened, but he refrained, figuring that she would tell him when she was ready. He kissed her forehead and her cheek while letting his _love_ flow over her to calm and reassure her.

After a while Catherine finally spoke. "Vincent what will we do. That reporter from the Times, - the one that saw you that night in the park after the twins were born -, is back and he asked me point blank if you are really the father of my daughter." She shivered and snuggled in tighter. "I was so startled by his question that I blew it. He was as surprised by my reaction as I was by his question."

Vincent kissed her and stroked her cheek. "I think it is still too soon to panic. He may have figured a few things out but knowing and proving are two very different things. I've read his work and he always has verifiable proof for anything he prints. He's known of my existence for almost a year and he's never printed anything."

"I know but I can't help worrying about it." Vincent's ministrations and words were starting to ease her mind a little. "It's just that he is such a damn good investigative reporter." She squeezed Vincent's hand. "I'm also worried about how this could affect Jennifer. I know she could have a happy full life Below, but I wanted her to have the freedom of Above as well."

"Don't give up just yet. You forget, I've met him and, short as that encounter was, I think I got a pretty good feel for him. He is driven and very ambitious but I felt no evil in him and he cares about his integrity. He's not about to publish anything unless he has irrefutable proof." Vincent nuzzled her cheek. "Spirco was foolish, unscrupulous and desperate, a much more dangerous combination."

"You're right, but I still worry. We have no idea what kind of information Spirco might have had on us that was never . . . ah . . . never . . ." Catherine voice trailed off as she was beginning to respond to Vincent's more personal ministrations.

~ x x x x x ~

It was late Saturday morning when the taxi let Thomas off in front of a rather modest block of brownstones. He turned to pay the taxi driver then handed him a bonus and asked him to wait until he had gotten past the front door. He looked up speculatively at the row of brownstones before him.

It had taken him a week but Thomas had managed to track down the sister of that reporter, Spirco. She lived alone, way out on Long Island. He walked up to the door he was interested in and rang the doorbell. He had considered calling first but decided to try the personal approach. His personal charm had gotten him through more than one closed door in his career.

The door opened and he was confronted by a rather mousy little bleached blond woman. "Yes, may I help you?"

"Miss Spirco?" He asked.

"What do you want?" The woman asked suspiciously.

"My name is Thomas Johnson. I'm a reporter for the Times and I wanted to talk to you about your brother."

She showed a moment of surprise then glared at him coldly. "One moment." She closed the door.

As the seconds dragged on, Thomas glanced at the taxi waiting patiently and thought that this was not turning out to be a very auspicious beginning. He was starting to get antsy, and had begun to consider leaving, when the door again opened. This time a different, much prettier, woman was at the door. "I am Misty Spirco." She announced. "What is this about my brother?"

Thomas took a moment to compose his response. "I was looking into your brother's death and the possibility that it might be related to another story that I'm currently working on."

The woman looked at him for a second then shrugged. "I guess it will be OK to talk to you." She opened the screen door. "I don't know how much help I can be though."

Thomas waved off the taxi and entered the woman's home, glancing around to get a feeling for the person he was about to interview. The room was simple, clean, comfortable, lived in. Over on the sofa the mousy woman was holding an infant and feeding a bottle to it. He looked back at Misty Spirco. She was about five-six, well proportioned, long dark brown hair, gray eyes, pretty. He noticed a distinct hint of sadness in her eyes that touched him.

Misty turned to the mousy woman. "Thanks for your help, Sandy. Can you watch Katrina for me while Mister, ah." She glanced at him.

"Johnson, Thomas Johnson." He supplied helpfully.

"While Mister Johnson and I talk?" She finished.

"Sure thing, Misty. I'll just take her up to the nursery." Sandy replied as she headed to the stairs at the back of the room.

Misty watched Thomas watching Sandy head up the stairs. She noted the speculative look in his eyes then she commented. "Before you ask, Katrina's father is long gone. He took off the minute he found out I was pregnant." There was a hint of disappointed bitterness in her voice. "Sandy is my neighbor and best friend."

Thomas was thinking that this was obviously a touchy subject with her as he turned his attention back to Misty. "That's a real shame." He looked into her eyes. "The man must have been a fool."

She shrugged. "Just selfish and immature and I was too foolish to see it until too late."

He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She responded. "He left me with Katrina." She smiled slightly as she glanced up the stairs. She looked back at Thomas. "Now what about my brother?" She sat down at one end of the sofa.

Thomas sat down at the other end. "I understand he was working on a big story when he died."

She quirked her mouth in a short half derisive laugh. "My brother was a dreamer, always working on another big story, looking to break into the big time. Like him, his stories never really amounted to much. Don't get me wrong, I loved my brother and he wasn't a bad sort, but he wasn't much of a reporter. His dreams always exceeded his ability."

"What about his last story?" Thomas pressed. "Do you know anything about it?"

She thought for a moment before answering. "For most of that last week he had been running around in one of his wild eyed moods. The kind he got in when he was on the trail of another 'Pulitzer' potential story. He never told me what it was about. I don't think he was too sure, himself, what he was onto. The morning before he died, his whole mood had changed. He was very upset, angry, and I think just a bit scared. He left a package with me and told me to keep it for him until he came back for it." The sadness in her eyes deepened and he could see the shimmer of withheld tears in them. "He never came back and I've never had the heart to open it."

Thomas perked up but did his best to restrain his enthusiasm as he reached out to touch her hand. "You have my deepest condolences."

"Thank-you Mister Johnson." She responded quietly.

After a moment he continued. "Do you still have that package he gave you?"

She sniffed and blinked then looked back up at Thomas. "I think I put it in with the rest of his junk."

His heart leaped as he worked to keep his demeanor casual. This might be the break he was looking for but this woman needed very careful handling. "Would you be willing to let me see it?"

She considered for a moment then jumped up and went to a small closet under the stairs. She pulled some boxes out and began rooted around in them. Thomas found himself admiring her shapely backside then chided himself for being unprofessional. After a while she came up with a small eight by five by two inch white cardboard box. She knelt there for a short time looking down at the box in her hand. Finally, with a sigh, she stood up and came towards him, holding the box as though afraid that it might contain something dangerous.

She sat back down on the sofa and handed the box over to him. "This is what he left."

The box was taped closed and wasn't very heavy. He could also hear something rattling around inside the box. "May I?" He asked. She nodded and he cut open the taped edge with his pocket knife. Inside he found a standard reporter's notebook, a business card, and an undeveloped role of film. The business card had the name Elliot Burch on it.

Thomas opened the notebook and started to read as Misty shifted closer to read over his shoulder. The first thing he noticed was that this guy's writing ability was mediocre at best. His research was sloppy and his fact checking was non-existent. It was no wonder he had never risen above the level of a third rate reporter on a second rate rag. About halfway through the notebook, Thomas found what he was looking for.

The last story he had been pursuing was initially about a mysterious shadowy figure that was supposed to be protecting Catherine Chandler. Thomas quickly realized that Spirco's story was entirely based on the information given to him by someone he believed was Elliot Birch. He had been spoon fed this story right from the beginning. At about the halfway point through the notes it had become obvious to Thomas that Spirco's informant couldn't possibly have been Elliot even though Spirco had the card taken from the informant's desk. Spirco, however, still believed, at this point, that he was Elliot.

Then he came to the point where Spirco had discovered that the mysterious protector was actually the mythical Creature of Central Park. His descriptions of the events leading to this discovery, left Thomas with no doubt that Spirco, Catherine and that creature had all been set up by his informant. The last entries in the notebook showed that Spirco had finally caught on to the fact that he was being used and had decided to confront his informant. He also wrote that he had gotten a couple of pictures of the creature and would get them developed as soon as he got back. Thomas could feel his heart pounding as he looked at the role of film in the box.

As he closed the notebook he looked up at Misty to see sorrow and anger in equal portions reflected in her face. "Elliot Burch set up and killed my brother?"

"No." Thomas shook his head. "I have met Elliot Burch and, whoever your brother's informant was, he wasn't Burch."

"But that card . . ." She protested.

"Is a fake." Thomas jumped in as he picked it up. "I thought there was something wrong with it. Look here." He held it up so they could both look at it. "The paper is cheap and flimsy. The printing is poor quality. See the blurred edges . . . here and here." He pointed to the two letters he was referencing. "The real Elliot Burch would never use business cards of such obviously cheap and shoddy workmanship." He tossed the card back in the box. "This is obviously a rather inferior knock off." Thomas set the notebook on the sofa table next to the box. "Your brother was set up alright, by someone posing as Elliot Burch." He took her hand. "And I suspect that the man that set your brother up probably killed him when he confronted the guy."

"But **why**?" She asked in a half sob, shaking her head.

Thomas thought a moment. "I think he was trying to use your brother to destroy Catherine Chandler."

"But that still doesn't explain that nonsense about a creature going around killing people." She responded. "Those last pages sounded like he was going insane." Her eyes seemed to be begging him to deny what she had just said.

Thomas studied her face deciding what he should tell her. After a second he made up his mind and responded. "Your brother wasn't going insane." Thomas again took her hand and squeezed it. "I believe he saw exactly what he said he saw." He paused as he observed the hopeful confusion on her face. "I believe him because I've seen that creature myself and I've got a very tangible scar to prove that what I remember of that encounter was real."

She gazed into his eyes, her eyes full of questions. Thomas then proceeded to tell her of the night he had met the creature face to face. He told her how he and Catherine Chandler had been surrounded by a gang of thugs and the creature had come roaring to their rescue. He showed her the scar where one of the thugs had slashed him. All during his story, he watched the emotions play across her face. Once he had finished he watched as she sat there processing what he had told her.

She stared at him trying to decide whether or not he was crazy and how to react to what he said. Finally she spoke. "So even if what you say is true, what has all this got to do with my brother's death? It still doesn't explain who killed him or why."

Thomas thought a moment. "The only one I know of who might know the answers, is Catherine Chandler." He squeezed her hand. "Why don't we go see Miss Chandler and ask her?"

Misty looked at him in surprise. "Do you really think she will even see us?"

Thomas smiled at her and shrugged. "It couldn't hurt to try." He paused to consider. "Catherine Chandler can be tough and uncompromising . . . and dangerous in a fight . . . but we have this notebook and this film. I think we will be able to get her to answer our questions if we can get in to talk to her." He stood up and drew her to her feet then glanced down at his watch. "What do you say I treat you to lunch then we will see if we can catch Miss Chandler in an accommodating mood and ask her some questions?"

A hint of a smile stole across her face then she went to the stairs and hollered up. "Sandy, I need to go out for a little while. Do you think you could watch Katrina for me while I'm gone?"

The mousy woman appeared at the top of the stairs. "Sure thing Misty. No problem. Henry isn't going to be in until tomorrow afternoon so I've got plenty of time."

"Thanks, Sandy. I really appreciate it. If it looks like I'm going to be gone more than a couple of hours, I'll call and let you know." Misty responded gratefully. She glanced at the handsome reporter that had just offered to help her find some resolution over her brother's death as well as offering to take her out for lunch.

"No problem." Sandy replied.

When she turned back around, Thomas was holding the notebook and the roll of film. "There's a very nice Italian restaurant not far from the park and a one hour photo place right across the street from it. We can have this developed while we eat. See if there is anything useful on it."

She shrugged. "Sure why not."

Thomas put the roll of film and the notebook into his pocket as Misty Spirco picked up her phone and called for a taxi. As she came back he asked her, "Who's Henry?"

Misty glanced up the stairs and sighed. "Henry is Sandy's husband. He works as a long haul trucker. She and I hang out together when he's on the road." She shrugged. "I keep her company and she keeps me out of trouble."

While they were waiting for the taxi, a slight prick of his conscious made him ask. "Do you mind if I hang on to your brother's notebook for a while?"

She shrugged. "I guess not. Why do you want it?"

"I just thought it might come in handy." He paused. "I was also thinking of seeing if I could find the location that he described in those last pages. That place where he saw the creature." The sound of car horn announced the taxi's arrival.

Misty thought a moment, as she grabbed her purse then responded. "Why don't we both go there after the restaurant? I want to see that place for myself. From what you said it wasn't too far from where you say that you saw it." Her eyes sparked with determination as she looked into his eyes. "I also really want to see what's in those pictures my brother took." She stopped at the door and looked uncertainly at Thomas. "I just hope they prove that he wasn't losing his mind."

_**Continued in Part 3**_

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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	3. At The Crossroads

**Much Ado About Everything****  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
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**Chapter 3: ****At The Crossroads**

Thomas had the cab driver drop them off at the one hour photo place where they dropped off the roll of film. Then they headed across the street to the restaurant. A few minutes later they were ordering lunch. After the waiter took their orders and their menus, Misty found herself glancing around the elegant interior of the restaurant. She couldn't help noticing that this place was well outside her rather limited finances. If this reporter was trying to impress her, he was doing a damn good job.

Thomas cocked his head as he studied Misty, gauging, judging. Finally he spoke. "So what's your story?"

Misty dragged her attention back to her companion. "Huh?"

"Your story. Your history. I'm a reporter because I'm naturally curious, and you interest me." He clarified.

"Oh." She responded, paused, and then she shrugged. "There's not a lot to tell." Another pause. "My mother ended up on the wrong end of a bad divorce when I was two. I never really knew my father. About a year later she married Oscar's father Quincy Spirco."

"So Spirco isn't your real brother?" Thomas asked.

"No. Not really but we have always been as close as any real siblings. My brother was always a dreamer and a bit irresponsible but he always tried to take care of me. When our parents died a couple of years ago, they left us with that place I live in. The only reason I can afford to live there is because it's already paid for and there is a trust fund that pays the taxes."

"So, what about Katrina?" He asked.

A cloud momentarily passed across her face. After a pause she answered. "I fell in love with the wrong guy, got pregnant, and he left me." She stated simply.

"Does he help support you or anything?" Thomas asked.

Her face became resolute as she replied. "No, and I want nothing from him. I don't want him having anything to do with me or my baby."

Shortly the food was served and Misty was soon asking Thomas about his history.

~ o ~

Catherine opened the door, a big grin on her face. "Elliot, Victoria, glad you could make it. I just got off the phone with Brigit. She should be here in about a half hour." At that point a cab pulled up and disgorged Joe and Samantha. "Joe, Sammy." Catherine called out to her friends. "You're timing is perfect. Get yourselves in here."

They stepped into the parlor and Victoria spoke up. "Thank-you for inviting us, Cathy. I've always wanted to meet Brigit O'Donnell, ever since I read 'Hidden Kingdom'." Victoria grinned slyly. "That story was based on you and Vincent, right?"

Catherine laughed. "In a round about way, it is."

"So where are the kids?" Elliot spoke up. "It's been over four months since the last time we saw them."

"They're right over here." Catherine pointed to a large playpen next to the fireplace. Both children were sitting in it quietly playing with some colorful blocks.

Elliot and Victoria made a beeline for the children and were soon playing with them and making the usual silly noises that adults always make around cute children.

Joe and Sammy headed for the sofa. They had been over playing with the twins just last weekend.

"Cathy, they've grown so much." Victoria commented.

"Oh by the way." Elliot spoke up. "I heard a rumor that Vincent's mother has been found."

"It's true." Catherine replied. "She's in the kitchen right now, with Vincent, getting lunch ready. It turns out that she is also a big fan of Brigit." She grinned. "Vincent's brother is out of town but he will be back tomorrow morning."

Victoria picked little Jacob up out of the playpen. "My, my, you are getting so big." She gushed as she nuzzled his fuzzy cheek.

Elliot picked up little Jennifer, who was holding her arms up in a bid for her share of the attention. "And how are you doing little princess."

"By the way, incase you hadn't heard, Vincent's mother's name is also Jennifer." Catherine added with a smile.

"You're kidding." Victoria responded with a laugh.

They were interrupted by the doorbell. Vincent came out of the kitchen and announced that lunch would be ready in ten minutes and Brigit was at the door.

Catherine opened the door. "Brigit, you're just in time. Most of the friends I told you about are already here and Vincent says lunch is almost done." She grabbed Brigit's hand and drew her inside.

As they entered the parlor Brigit spotted Elliot and Victoria holding the twins and her eyes grew wide. "Catherine, they are incredible." She headed straight for the twins. "They are beautiful." She looked over at Catherine. "You did it to me again didn't you. I write a fantastic story only to find out that I've fallen far short of your reality again." She shook her head. "I wrote that sequel I had been contemplating. It's called '**Children of the Hidden Kingdom**'." She laughed. "That's why I'm in town. I'm meeting with Jenny and an editor named Dennis McCormick to arrange to have it released in the U.S."

Catherine laughed. "The Dennis you are going to be meeting also happens to be Vincent's half brother."

Eyes wide, Brigit looked at her incredulously. "No!"

"I kid you not." Catherine shook her head. "He's been living here in New York right under our noses for several years. Their mother has only been here less than a year. The mother and son reunion was really something to behold."

"Life is truly stranger than fiction." Brigit remarked, shaking her head. "Well let's take a look at the wee children." The children became the center of attention. "What about Vincent's empathic gift?" Brigit asked as she tickled little Jennifer. "Do you think either of them has inherited it?" Jacob also began laughing.

"It's hard to say for sure, but there is a very definite link between Jacob and Jennifer." Catherine replied. "If anything happens to one, the other will respond to it and Vincent believes that Jacob will inherit most of his unique gifts. According to Father he seems to be developing along much the same lines as Vincent did. We're not sure about Jennifer, though we have seen evidence that she heals much quicker than normal and she is very strong for her age and size. Only time will tell."

"Lunch is ready." Vincent announced as he and a tiny middle aged woman placed items on the dining room table.

As they all sat down at the table, Vincent got the twins settled in their high chairs while Catherine handled the introductions. Brigit, Elliot and Victoria were all fascinated by Vincent's mother and listened in rapt attention to the tale of what had really happened the night the infant Vincent was found behind the hospital.

Joe and Sammy had already heard it all before but they listened again to the moving story.

~ o ~

Thomas and Misty looked down at the newly developed pictures. Of the twenty three pictures, eighteen had nothing to do with what they were interested in. Of the remaining five, one was of a concrete tunnel opening, two were just fuzzy unidentifiable blurs and two were of a very blurry over exposed face.

The over exposed face was barely distinguishable as a face at all. There were, however, definite hints of a flat nose and cleft lip. Both images strongly hinted of leonine features but they were both too over exposed and blurry to be in any way definitive or usable. The only thing in one of the pictures that was even close to being recognizable was half of Catherine's face in the background of one of the pictures.

Thomas shook his head. "These are useless. I've seen pictures of Bigfoot that were clearer than these. He put the five pictures that supposedly concerned the creature in his pocket with the notebook and gave the rest to Misty. "You probably want to keep these." He remarked. Most of them seemed to be of her or her brother in various locations. A couple of the pictures were of Sandy and a man he assumed was her husband Henry. Three were of Misty on the beach, looking very sexy in her bathing suit. One was of Misty and an unidentified man. She tore that one up and threw it in the nearest trash.

~ o ~

"That's where I saw the creature." Thomas pointed to a spot on the path near a clump of bushes. He looked down at the notebook then looked around and pointed deeper into the park. "The storm drain should be over in that direction."

They headed off in the indicated direction. Soon they came to some baseball fields. "This is where the two bogus cops were killed." He stopped to look around then headed in a new direction. "This way I think."

After a few minutes they located the gully and found the storm drain they were looking for. A thin stream of dirty water flowed out of the large dark six foot diameter concrete opening and down the gully towards the road and eventually to the body of water on the other side of the road.

Thomas glanced again into the notebook. "This is it." He glanced at the dark opening and held out his hand, palm toward her, indicating for her to stay back. "Maybe you should wait here while I check this out."

Misty glanced nervously into the dark opening, over at Thomas, then back at the opening. After a moment's hesitation she shook her head. "No way." She responded, her voice quaking just a bit. "I'm going with you."

Carefully they made their way into the concrete pipe. Misty's hand was gripping his very tightly. After a short distance they came to a junction that was illuminate by light streaming from a grate several yards above their heads. Thomas looked around then glanced again at the notebook.

He turned to Misty. "This is where it happened." He glanced around. There were three ways to go. The tunnel back the way they came, a short tunnel to the left that ended in another vertical column to a surface drain, like the one they were directly under, and a long dark tunnel that led into the unknown. He pointed down the third way. "According to your brother's notes, the creature came from that direction." He pulled out a flashlight that he had purchased at the convenience store next to where they had gotten the pictures developed.

The silt and debris on the floor of the tunnel showed definite signs of recent traffic. Thomas took Misty's hand and they headed down the dark tunnel.

After about another hundred yards and one fifteen degree turn they came to a five-way junction. The floor was covered in heavily disturbed dust. Motioning Misty to stay back, Thomas moved very cautiously as he carefully examined the floor. Finally he stood before a heavy rusted iron grate that covered the opening to a four foot deep dead end alcove. He shook the grate then examined it and the floor very carefully. There was no doubt in his mind that the gate in the center of the grate had long ago rusted shut and the entire metal grate was very securely anchored to the concrete wall. There was also no doubt that there were definite signs of traffic on both sides of the grate.

Thomas again looked at the floor very carefully. The other three tunnels showed no signs of recent traffic. He stood there for several seconds scratching his head. "It doesn't make sense." He shook his head. "All the signs lead to this small alcove and I'll bet if we looked hard enough we could find a secret release that opens this grate . . . but why here? There's no way out. It's a dead end."

Misty shrugged, shaking her head. Thomas looked through the bars again at the blank back wall of the short alcove. A memory went through his mind of a story he once read where a werewolf had built a temporary cage to lock himself in during the full moon so he couldn't hurt anyone. He shook his head. This was ridiculous. He began searching the walls.

He found a large lever off to the right of the grate behind a small wire screen door and, taking a deep breath, flipped it. He was rewarded by a low grinding sound and saw the back dead-end wall moving aside to reveal a long dark tunnel. The other end of the tunnel was lost in the darkness. So this is where the creature had come from and disappeared to. There was a click sound and the entire metal grate swung free from the wall. Thomas was momentarily fascinated by the ingeniousness of this hidden doorway.

Misty grabbed his hand as she gazed fearfully into the long dark tunnel. "I don't like this. What if that creature is in there somewhere, waiting to attack?" She shivered convulsively. "Let's get out of here, please." She was trying to pull him back. "I can't do it, I can't go down there." There was something about that long dark tunnel that really frightened her.

Thomas looked back into her fearful eyes and sighed. He wanted to follow that inviting and foreboding tunnel and find out where it led. He didn't think the creature would really attack them if they found it, but she was afraid and he couldn't just leave her here by herself. He had made her a promise to try to see Catherine Chandler.

He decided that he could always come back here later. "OK Misty, we'll go see Miss Chandler." He flipped the switch again and watched the back wall move back into place. A close inspection found the back wall to be just as solid as it looked. If he hadn't already seen the opening he wouldn't have believed that it was there. He swung the grate closed and heard the click as it locked into place then he turned. "Let's go see if Miss Chandler will talk to us." He reluctantly led Misty away from the beckoning concealed doorway.

As they both made their way towards the road, nether one of them noticed the ragged looking person that came out of the storm drain and watched them walking across the park. A few minutes after Thomas and Misty had disappeared from sight, the strangely clothed figure turned and headed back down into the storm drain.

Once back up on the road, Thomas hailed a cab. He held the door for Misty then got into the cab after her. He gave the driver an address nearby on Central Park West and turned his attention back to Misty.

She seemed puzzled as she looked back at him. "OK, so we now know where it disappears to, but who built that hidden doorway?"

He shrugged. "Maybe we can ask Miss Chandler when we see her. The fact that we know where his lair is, may give us some extra leverage." The cab soon pulled up in front of a very expensive looking brownstone.

~ o ~

Lunch had been reduced to a few crumbs and dirty dishes, when the still lively table conversation was interrupted by the doorbell. "Now who could that be?" Catherine asked and, at the negative shake of Vincent's head, turned on the video monitor to see whom the person that Vincent was not familiar with, could be. "Oh, god, why now." Catherine moaned as she recognized the reporter standing next to some unknown woman. She sighed. "Vincent you'd better get Jacob upstairs. Elliot, could you put little Jennifer in the playpen?" She shook her head. "I'll see if I can get rid of the pest."

Elliot chuckled at her choice of words as he picked Jennifer up from her highchair. He recognized the reporter pictured on the monitor, and he had used that very same term, more than once, when referring to that particular reporter himself. Vincent picked up Jacob and headed up the stairs. Elder Jennifer, Sammy and Victoria began to quickly clean up the table. Joe went over and leaned against the wall just out of sight from the door. The bell chimed again as Catherine reached the door while checking over her shoulder to asses the view from the front entry. Satisfied she opened the door.

_**Continued in Part 4**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	4. Questions and Answers

**Much Ado About Everything****  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 04 : Questions and Answers**

Thomas and Misty stood before the impressive facade of Catherine Chandler's Central Park West brownstone. To Misty, this location exuded an aura of wealth and power that was far outside her experience. She suddenly felt as though she had gotten herself in way over her head.

Thomas could see that Misty was intimidated. "Just remember. I'm here with you and, despite her tough reputation, I don't think Catherine Chandler bites." He tightened his arm around her waist to reassure her, though he also enjoyed the feel of having his arm around her. During their lunch together, he had become quite intrigued by Misty Spirco. He reached out and pressed the doorbell. They both barely heard the musical tones of the chimes inside.

After about a minute and a half, Thomas pressed the doorbell again and a moment later the door opened. Catherine stood there looking back at them. There was no welcome in her face or posture. "What do you want?" She asked coldly.

Misty took a reflexive step backwards. Thomas again tightened his arm around her waist to steady her and give her encouragement. He cleared his throat and spoke up. "Miss Chandler, this woman is Misty Spirco. She is the sister of the deceased reporter, Spirco. I think you are already familiar with him." He paused a moment, noting her look of surprise as she glanced more closely at Misty. He also noted that a hint of uncertainty had crept into Catherine's eyes. He pressed his perceived advantage. "I discovered that she had her brother's note book and a roll of film that he had left in her care. We both have questions that we would like answered."

Catherine tightened her grip on the door as she desperately fought down the sense of panic that suddenly rose within her at the mention of the film and the notebook. Ever since her last encounter with Spirco, she had feared the reappearance of those two items, and now this reporter had shown up at her door, claiming to have them. She could see her whole, nearly perfect, world crumbling around her like a house of cards.

Thomas saw the color completely drain from Catherine's face and, though she tried to hide it, he could see the fear in her eyes at the mention of Spirco's name and the two items he had found. This reaction, like the one when he noticed the picture on her desk, was far more extreme than he had expected. He had hoped for the advantage in this encounter, but he found the extent of her reaction to be very disquieting.

Then the door opened wider and District Attorney Joe Maxwell stood there with his arm around Catherine's shoulder, supporting her. "What is going on here?" He demanded. "Aren't you that reporter that was bothering Miss Chandler a week ago?" If looks could kill, Thomas would have been fried on the spot. "There **are** limits to the, so called, 'freedom of the press', and harassing an officer of the court is against the law. You're treading a very fine line here."

Thomas was very surprised at this development and was no longer quite as sure about the strength of his position. The notebook was iffy at best and the pictures were an empty threat. Even knowledge of the hidden doorway in the park was a bit tenuous. The situation had just shifted into very unstable territory. Without knowing how much Joe Maxwell knew, there was no way to accurately judge the situation. To top it off Misty was clinging to him as though totally cowed, which she probably was, and he wasn't feeling near as sure of himself as he was still pretending to be.

Catherine could feel the link between her and Vincent vibrating like a taught piano wire as the complex emotions zipped back and forth between them. As Vincent fought the irrational desire to come roaring to her rescue, she fought to get her own emotions under control.

Thomas stared in greater surprise as another unexpected new element was added to the already unstable mix. Elliot Burch, of all people, came up on the other side of Catherine looking less than pleased. "What is this I hear about that creep Spirco."

'_Now what_?' Thomas thought to himself, the situation was becoming totally unpredictable.

Misty's eyes got nearly as big as saucers when she recognized Elliot. Her brother's notes had clearly pointed to Elliot Burch as being responsible for everything, though Thomas had assured her that it could not have been Elliot that had set her brother up. She had a sudden urge to run away but Thomas' arm around her and her own frozen grip on him prevented it.

Joe glanced at the woman then back at the reporter. "Members of the New York District Attorney's office do not speak to the press except through official channels." Joe added authoritatively.

Dredging up courage, she didn't know she had, from somewhere deep inside herself, Misty finally got back her voice and spoke. "Please Miss Chandler; I just want to know what happened to my brother. Why was he killed? Mister Johnson said that you would probably know the answer."

Thomas glanced over at Misty, weighing her reason for being here against his then he looked back at Catherine. It wasn't an easy decision, but he made it. "This is strictly off the record. If you have any information for her, I think you owe it to her to tell her what she wants to know."

Joe looked over at Catherine. "Cathy?"

Catherine looked at both of them a moment thinking very hard about the situation. Joe and Elliot were both trying to help her out and give her moral support, but the decision was ultimately hers. This reporter's argument about owing something to this woman was basically so much malarkey. Catherine looked again into the woman's pleading eyes and felt a pang of sympathy for her. To her it looked as though this woman still keenly felt her brother's death. She probably could use a bit of closure. Catherine sent what amounted to a kind of emotional question mark over her link to Vincent. She knew he was just upstairs and could hear most, if not all, of what was going on and he could probably sense enough of their emotions to get a good read on them.

Catherine closed her eyes and released a deep sigh as Vincent projected his _love_ and _support_ back to her. He was telling her that he would support her, whatever she decided. She sent her love back at him. She closed her eyes again to compose herself and her response, then she pinned Thomas with a laser sharp gaze. "Every thing that we might discuss in this house today would be permanently off the record . . . no exceptions. Anything revealed, can never be published, ever."

Thomas stared at her for a second feeling cornered. She was giving him absolutely no wiggle room. "But . . ."

"Not for publication, ever." Her eyes bore into his. If they wanted their answers it would be under her terms. "Those are my conditions. Accept them or turn around and go away."

Thomas looked over at Misty. She was glancing back and forth between Catherine and himself. He could see her need to know the truth about her brother reflected in Misty's eyes. Within himself the desire to break the big story was at war with the desire to know the truth about Misty's brother and that creature from the park. The situation had shifted completely out of his control. It left him feeling totally adrift. He looked again at Misty and a third desire to help Misty find her answers was added to the conflict. With a deep sigh of resignation, as he continued to look at Misty, he barely nodded his head. "You win Miss Chandler. Anything said today is completely off the record and will not be for publication." He faced Catherine and looked her straight in the eye. "You have my word."

Catherine again looked inward to her link with Vincent and felt his _acceptance_. Vincent believed him. She thought it over for a minute. Despite everything, she had always admired Thomas Johnson's professional integrity as well as his reporting and writing skills. That was the final piece in her decision. She stepped back. You may come in Mr. Johnson, Miss . . . Spirco." She almost stumbled over the name 'Spirco' which had come to symbolize fear and the danger of exposure to her for so long.

Misty had noticed Catherine's difficulty with her last name. "Thank you Miss Chandler." After a moment she continued. "If my last name upsets you, just call me Misty."

Thomas and Misty were both surprised again when they saw the rest of the room's occupants. They both immediately recognized Victoria Burch, who some publications had already begun referring to with the supermodel title. They both also recognized Brigit O'Donnell. Thomas had last seen her over a year ago at her book signing event where Catherine had jumped an IRA assassin and foiled an attempt on Brigit's life. Misty recognized Brigit from the dust jacket pictures on the backs of some of her favorite books. Her friend, Sandy, had been at that book signing and had brought her back an autographed copy of 'The Hidden Kingdom'.

A moment later, Thomas and Misty were both distracted by the child that was fussing in the playpen over by the fireplace. At the same time Thomas thought he caught an echo of the child's fussing coming from the opening at the top of the spiral staircase. Catherine rushed over and picked up the little girl to comfort her. Then stepped over to where the rest of her guests were seated. She indicated for Thomas and Misty to have a seat at one of the two empty loveseats around the large coffee table as Elliot and Joe returned to their seats beside their respective mates on the eight foot long sofa.

Catherine sat down next to Victoria, while Misty finally got her overtaxed emotions under control and reacted to the baby. "Oh, my, what an adorable little girl."

Thomas's attention was drawn to the small child in Catherine's arms. He could see Catherine stiffen just a bit as he looked closer. The similarity of the child's sapphire blue eyes to the creature was even more striking in person. He smiled at Misty. "She's just as cute as your kid and she looks to be about the same age."

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Catherine relaxed slightly at his comment. Victoria took temporary possession of Jennifer as introductions were exchanged. Thomas looked curiously at Catherine, wondering just how much all these people knew. "What Misty and I are here to talk about may be a bit confidential. Is it OK to speak freely in this group?"

"These people are all good friends. Though they may not all know everything, I have no secrets from them. You may speak freely." Catherine responded.

After glancing at Misty, Thomas launched into a description of what Spirco's notes said about his last days. When he finished, he paused, looked over at Misty again then continued. "Misty has already told you what she wants to know." He glanced at Misty again then he glanced over at little Jennifer who was currently sitting in Victoria's lap and playing with Victoria's diamond tennis bracelet. "You already know where my interests lie."

Catherine glanced around at her friends. Most of them already knew at least part of that particular episode in her and Vincent's lives. She thought a moment then began to speak. "Misty, your brother was set up and, eventually, killed by an evil man who called himself Paracelsus. His real name was John Pater." She glanced at Joe. This would involve two of his long list of unsolved cases. "Paracelsus was determined to destroy me and apparently tried to use your brother to do it. My guess is that when your brother confronted him, he probably refused to go along with his plans. Knowing Paracelsus, he probably killed your brother as soon as he was no longer of use to him."

After a moment Misty spoke up. "What happened to this Para . . . Para . . ." Misty looked flustered. "What happened to him?"

"He's dead." Catherine stated flatly. "He died shortly after your brother." There was a hard implacable coldness in her eyes as she said this that made Thomas shiver in response.

Thomas looked over at Elliot. "But what part did you play in all this? Misty's brother was convinced that you were his source."

Elliot leaned forward. "I only became peripherally involved in this when I became aware that there was an imposter out there pretending to be me. Cathy came to me and I found out where the imposter was hiding. We went there together but he had already killed your brother and disappeared."

Catherine added. "I located Paracelsus later that day. He went after a friend of mine and was killed in the attempt."

They all sat around in silence for a while looking at each other and absorbing what had been said. Finally Misty glanced over at Thomas then spoke up. "But what does all this have to do with that creature that my brother was rambling on about? It sounded so absurd. It was like he had lost his mind there at the end."

At this point Thomas jumped in. "Despite my assurances, Misty still doesn't really believe what her brother saw. I however have seen him, and I too would like to know how that creature is connected to this affair." Thomas glanced over at little Jennifer. "Your daughter's eyes are proof enough to me that there is a connection."

Misty's mouth dropped open as she looked back and forth between Thomas and Catherine's infant daughter with her startlingly blue eyes. What was Thomas saying?

After a moment of stunned silence Catherine cleared her throat and spoke. "Paracelsus wanted to control and use . . . 'the creature' . . . as you called him, for his own evil purposes and he thought I stood in the way of his plans. That is why he was trying to destroy me."

Thomas saw his opening and pounced. "And what exactly **is** your relationship to the creature in question?"

Catherine simply stared stonily back at Thomas. Misty was looking back and forth between them uncertainly. Then Misty and Thomas both saw Victoria's eyes open wide in surprise then Catherine looked up over their heads at something.

"She is my wife." Came a voice from the spiral staircase behind Misty and Thomas. Misty felt an almost erotic shock go through her to her very core at the sound of that voice.

Thomas and Misty turned and looked over to see the huge figure of the creature coming to a halt at the bottom of the great spiral staircase. Directly behind him was a teenage girl dressed in layers of worn patched clothing and carrying some type of bundle. Misty stared at the apparition, her mind in turmoil with dozens of emotions crashing together. Thomas looked up at Vincent in triumph. Here was the answer to so many questions. Catherine was on her feet, moving toward the creature.

"Vincent?" Catherine questioned tentatively as she reached him.

Vincent put his arm around her waist, looking down into her eyes. "It's all right, Catherine. Thomas has already seen me and made a pretty good guess at our relationship." He shifted his gaze to Misty. ". . . and Misty desperately needs some type of confirmation that her brother was not going insane." He glanced down at Catherine, giving her a quick reassuring squeeze.

For a long time the scene held as each person processed the implications. Thomas was coming to terms not only with the reality of the creature, she had called him Vincent, but with the relationship between that creature Vincent and Catherine and the infant girl. Thomas also had to come to grips with the fact that everyone else in this room, except Misty, apparently, already knew all about this Vincent. There was a big difference between just suspicions and having irrefutable verification.

Misty was also trying to deal with the reality of the creature that Catherine had called Vincent. At the same time she was also trying to come to grips with the effects, the desires, which his voice seemed to bring out in her. She realized that she desperately wanted to have Thomas put his arm around her as she edged closer to him. To her surprise he responded as she hoped and she suddenly felt much better.

Vincent spoke again. "I decided to satisfy your curiosity because I knew that you would keep your word about what happens here today." He turned his attention to Misty. "Your brother, despite his faults, and the pain and fear he caused Catherine and I, was still just as much a victim of Paracelsus as we were. What happened was not really your brother's doing and I believe he regained his honor and integrity in the end. That is why Paracelsus killed him."

Catherine addressed the girl behind them. "Jamie, why don't you go ahead and join us."

"It was you that killed this Paracelsus character, wasn't it?" Thomas blurted out the question.

"Yes it was." Vincent replied simply. "He had killed many people in his mad quests, including your brother, and when he tried to destroy me . . ." Vincent glanced down at Catherine "I was finally forced to fight back. He is dead."

The young girl went over and sat down next to Victoria, where Catherine had been sitting a moment ago. Both Thomas and Misty gasped as they saw, for the first time, that the bundle in her lap was an infant version of Vincent. Thomas and Misty looked at each other then back at the children then back at Vincent. He was standing there, he head slightly cocked, looking back at them. Thomas felt that they were both under scrutiny, being judged, evaluated, in some way beyond his understanding.

"Jacob and Jennifer are twins." Catherine remarked as she and Vincent sat down in the other love seat together. "I believe they should pretty well answer your questions about the relationship between Vincent and me."

"How do all of the rest of you know . . . Vincent?" Thomas asked, once he had recovered his equilibrium.

Misty continued to stare at the leonine child in the young woman's lap and occasionally glanced at Vincent.

"We've all had our lives saved by him." Brigit responded.

Victoria held up her hand. "Except me." Thomas looked at her, one eyebrow raised in obvious question. She grinned back at him. "Vincent scared the hell out of me when I ran into him while jogging in the park early one morning. He can be pretty scary if you come upon him unexpectedly. I screamed and ran." She glanced over at Elliot Burch and smiled shyly. "into Elliot." She looked back at Misty. "We literally collided when Elliot came running from between some bushes after hearing me scream. That's how Elliot and I met." Victoria grabbed Elliot's hand and grinned happily. "The rest, as they say, is tabloid history."

Misty turned and stared at Vincent at this point. She was surprised by Vincent's total lack of any negative reaction to Victoria's comments. Victoria smiled at Vincent. "It was Vincent that gave me away at our wedding."

~ o ~

After about an hour Thomas and Misty left the brownstone. He had the, potentially, prize winning, story of a lifetime, along with the necessary data to back it up, and he couldn't publish it. Not only had he given his word but he had realized that printing that story would probably destroy the lives of several very good people.

The team of Joe Maxwell and Catherine Chandler was the best thing that could have happened to this city's District Attorney's office, especially after the Moreno corruption scandal. And those two adorable twins of Catherine and Vincent. He and Misty had both fallen under the twins spell. It made him shudder to think what might happen to them if he wrote that story. One of the drawbacks of being a reporter with moral principals was that this occasionally happened to him.

He looked over at Misty after they entered the taxi for the ride back to her apartment. She looked serene, thoughtful. She had gotten the answers she needed and was much happier than when this started. He put his arm around her, it just seemed the thing to do, and she smiled back and shifted in closer to him. This particular development, definitely, had possibilities.

~ x x x x x ~

A week later, Thomas stood on a particular grassy slope next to a road through the park. This was the spot where Catherine Chandler's purse had been found the day after she had been attacked. He remembered standing in this very spot a few days after her disappearance trying to divine some hint of what could have happened to her. This time he had a better idea what he was looking for and he didn't have to look far to find it. At the bottom of the slope was a gully and at the end of the gully was a concrete drain pipe just like the one where he had found that secret door.

Though it had never been specifically mentioned during his conversation with Vincent and Catherine last week, he was positive that it had been Vincent who had found Catherine's unconscious body lying here and rescued her.

Thomas entered the storm drain and, after walking a short distance, found a gated off alcove just like the one in the storm drain by the band shell. He had checked with the city before coming here and found that there were about a half dozen of these storm drains scattered through the park and he was now willing to bet that all of them had secret doors like this. The obvious conclusion was that there must be a network of tunnels under the park and that was probably where Vincent had taken Catherine during those ten days she had been missing.

How extensive was that underground network? How many others, beside Vincent, lived in that network? According to the records Thomas had obtained from the police, Catherine had apparently received competent medical care while she was missing. That fact suggested that there was probably a doctor among them. Why would a competent doctor be living in a place like that? Were there more like Vincent living in those hidden tunnels. For every question that was answered, it seemed two more questions popped up.

Thomas turned and headed back up the slope to the taxi that he had kept waiting on the street above. He had a lot of new ideas and concepts to think about.

_**Continued in Part 5**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	5. Engagements

**Much Ado About Everything****  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 0****5 : Engagements**

Joe gazed thoughtfully across the breakfast table at Sammy. They had been together for better than twice as long as any of his previous relationships and he just couldn't comprehend his life without her. She had moved in a couple of months ago and Joe had no doubts that they belonged together.

He had been thinking about the two of them all night trying and failing to come up with the right words. Finally he just had to say something. "Sammy . . . Uh." He was having difficulty getting it out. Why was it so hard to say what he wanted?

She looked up. "Yes, Joe?" Something about the look in his eyes registered and suddenly all her attention was on him.

"I, ah . . ." He was a top lawyer, damn it, with a gift for language so why was he having such a hard time saying what he wanted to say? What was he afraid of? Perhaps he had been a confirmed bachelor for too long.

"Joe?" She was totally focused on him now. Her heart was pounding. Joe was struggling and she felt something momentous was about to happen if he could just conquer whatever demons were holding him back.

"Sammy, I . . . uh," Finally, as an act of pure will, he screwed up his courage and quickly blurted it out. "Sammy, I love you and I want to marry you." There, he had said it. Now he sat there, his heart pounding, waiting for her response. He had laid his heart out on the table, naked and vulnerable for her to do with as she pleased.

For what seemed like an eternity the silence hung like a solid object between them as they stared at each other. Tears began welling up in her eyes. Then without warning she launched herself over the table and collided with him sending him over backwards onto the floor where she landed on top of him. Then she was kissing him over and over, the words of her response spilling out between kisses. "Hello . . . you fool . . . I . . . love you . . . of course . . . I . . . will . . . marry you." She stopped to gaze into his eyes for a moment then they were engaged in a very passionate kiss. Soon their actions had moved way beyond kissing.

~ o ~

Catherine looked up surprised when Joe showed up for work over an hour and a half late. Though he had tended to go home earlier in the evening since Sammy had moved in, this was the first occasion, in all the time she had known him, that he had ever come in late. More over, there was a dazed sparkle to his eyes as well as a bounce to his step that to her said 'something major had happened' and she would bet the farm that she knew what it was.

Catherine entered Joe's office right behind him and, before he had even gotten his coat off, she closed his door and demanded an explanation. "OK, Joe, something big has happened. What is it? Spill it. I want details." She leaned against the door and folded her arms waiting.

Joe turned and stared back at her in a daze for a moment. Then as a rare goofy grin spread across his face he responded. "I asked Sammy to marry me."

"And?" She prodded, an answering grin beginning to spread across her face. She had no doubts what Sammy's answer had been, but she wanted to watch him say it.

"And she called my play, Radcliffe." He replied. "She said yes." He grabbed her up in a hug.

"Fantastic." Catherine replied and hugged him back. "It's about time." She added as they separated.

~ o ~

Detective Diana Bennett was staring across the table into the startlingly blue eyes of her lover, Dennis McCormick. They were both playing hooky from work today and had just been to the theater to catch the first showing of a very romantic movie. Now they were in a very nice restaurant enjoying a late lunch. She had never felt so strongly about anyone before, ever. It was as though he was a part of her, completed her, and she just couldn't imagine her life without him. She was thoroughly hooked and she knew it. What's more she just knew that he felt the same about her.

Dennis was gazing into the green eyes of his lovely redheaded detective and rapidly getting lost in them. They had connected almost as soon as they had first met and he had never looked back. Love at first sight was such a cliché, yet that is exactly how it had felt. At the moment he was seriously thinking about how much he really wanted to make their relationship permanent. She was the best part of him and he just couldn't imagine his life without her. She had him thoroughly hooked and he knew it. What's more he just knew that she felt the same about him.

They both reached across the table at the same time and their hands connected in the middle, sending a shiver of delight through them both. They both came to a decision and spoke simultaneously. "Diana/Dennis, I . . ." Then they both stopped, feeling a bit flustered.

"I was thinking . . ." Again they both spoke then stopped with a bit of a nervous titter.

"I wondered if . . ." This was getting silly as they both looked longingly into each other's eyes.

Then they both took a breath at the same time and they both blurted out. "Will you marry me?"

They stared at each other, stunned, for several long heartbeats then they both started laughing. Finally Diana managed to respond. "I guess we both have the answer to our question." Then they leaned in and kissed. The rest of the meal was punctuated with the occasional laughter, giggles and blushes . . . and lots of hand holding.

~ o ~

It was late in the afternoon when Catherine looked up to see Diana and Dennis approaching her desk. It was a bit late for them to be there for lunch and there was something very familiar about the look in their eyes and their stride. Then it hit her. They both had the same look that Joe had exhibited this morning. There was that same dazed sparkle to their eyes as well as the same bounce to their step. They must have just become engaged. She would bet the farm on it . . . again.

"OK, you two, spill it." She spoke up before either of them could open their mouths. "What happened?" She grinned.

"Dennis and I have become engaged." Diana replied.

"And . . . details, people. I want details." Catherine demanded.

"We both popped the question at the same time." Dennis replied. "It was so funny. Diana and I both said exactly the same thing at the same time." He chuckled. "No one said yes because we both already had our answers."

"Have you picked a date yet?" She asked.

"No, but we do have a request of you." Diana responded and Catherine cocked her head waiting for the request. "We would like you to be the maid of honor and Vincent to be best man, if that's OK with both of you."

"Are you kidding? We would love to do it." Catherine responded enthusiastically. "Have you figured out where?"

Diana responded. "After hearing Jenny talk about your wedding, I was kinda hoping to have it in Father's library." She paused and Catherine saw a hint of a blush in her cheeks. "And since I have no family, I was hoping that maybe Father would give me away."

"I think Father would be honored." Catherine replied. "Why don't you come below with Vincent and me tonight and you can ask him."

~ o ~

That evening they talked to Father and set the wedding for the first week of next month. Father suggested the same priest that had done Catherine's wedding.

A week later Joe and Sammy set their wedding for two weeks after Diana's.

~ x x x x x ~

Thomas gazed down at the contents of his 'Central Park Creature' folder spread across his desk. A news article about a deadly drug that had appeared for a very short time three years ago, had been added to it, along with an academic paper about an ancient alchemist named Paracelsus, five blurry pictures and Spirco's last notebook. He also included a map of Central Park that showed the storm drain runoff culverts as well a few other structures of interest. He gathered it all together and placed it neatly in the folder, and then he closed and put the folder away at the very back of his file drawer.

He re-read one last time then saved, the article he was writing, titled 'The Reality Behind An Urban Legend', and turned off his computer terminal. Tomorrow he would submit the article for the weekend edition.

With a satisfied sigh he leaned back in his chair and wondered just how this particular article would be received, especially by a certain small group of people. He suspected that they would be very surprised when it hit the news stands. He had kept his word and been very careful not to print anything that had been said during that afternoon he and Misty had spent at Catherine Chandler's home. He had however been able to dig up a few more pieces of the puzzle based on some of the things he had learned there and it had definitely influenced the article he had finally written.

He checked his watch and shot up out of his chair. Tonight he had a date with Misty Spirco. He had been smitten with her since that first time he met her three weeks ago. He suspected that Misty's friend Sandy still didn't trust him but he thought that he could eventually win her over.

He grabbed his jacket on his way out of the newspaper office, catching the elevator just before it closed. As the elevator started down, he grinned to himself as he pictured Catherine Chandler's reaction when she first saw his article. It would be priceless.

~ x x x x x ~

Catherine, Sammy and Jenny were over at Diana's place to work on the plans for both Diana's and Sammy's weddings. "I was wondering if Joe and I could do it in that wonderful rooftop garden of yours." Sammy asked Catherine.

"Of course you can." Catherine replied. "We would love to have you."

Sammy grinned. "That's wonderful. I really appreciate it, Cathy."

Diana whipped out a bridal veil. "This is it. My mother's veil. I promised her that I would one day wear it at my wedding." She placed it on her head and spread it out behind her. "And now I will finally be able to fulfill that promise." She glanced down at the edge of the veil in her hand. "I only wish she could have been here to see it."

They were interrupted by a knock at the front door. Diana answered and a delivery man gave her a large package. She was grinning from-ear-to-ear as she brought the large package into the parlor and set it on the coffee table. "It's from my cousin. I asked her if I could use her mother's wedding dress." She began to carefully unwrap the package to reveal an old sealed garment box. With great care she cut the tape that sealed the old box and gently opened it up.

Diana stared down at the revealed bodice of the wedding dress for a moment. Then she grabbed the shoulders of the dress and with a dramatic flair and a tuneful "Ta-Da," held it up before herself to show it off in all its glory.

Catherine and Sammy both gasped in surprise, but, instead of delight, Diana saw horror in their eyes. She held the dress out away from herself, looking down, and soon her eyes reflected the same look as her friends. The dress was ruined! A mottled irregular dark stain and several rotted holes covered over half of the gown. It looked more than anything like moldy water had gotten to it.

"Oh, Diana, this is terrible." Catherine exclaimed in dismay.

"Oh, God! How could this have happened?" Diana shook her head trying to deny what she was seeing. "Cousin Penny will have a fit when she hears about this. She and her mother were so careful about storing this dress." Diana nearly wailed in her distress. "What am I going to do?" She laid the dress across the coffee table and gazed at it in despair. "I don't think this can be fixed and I don't have the time or money to replace it."

Catherine gazed at Diana critically. She noted that Diana was only a bit over an inch taller than her but they both wore the same size dresses. She thought a moment then made an offer. "Diana, since we are nearly the same size, you are welcome to use my wedding dress. It is a little different, being made from raw silk but it is well suited for the tunnels and you would look great in it."

Diana felt gratitude well up inside of her. She had heard a lot about that dress from Jenny. "Cathy, that is so wonderful of you to offer." She hugged her friend. "I would be honored to wear that dress. Thank-you."

"You're welcome." Catherine returned her hug. "I'll dig it out tonight and we can try it on you tomorrow evening."

Diana looked down at the ruined dress. "But what do I do about that? What do I tell my cousin?"

"Just explain to her what you found and ask her if she would like you to try to get it repaired." Catherine responded.

Sammy jumped in. "The people below are wizards when it comes to repairing damaged clothing. They could probably make it look as good as new and it wouldn't cost you anything."

~ x x x x x ~

Dennis looked up and his breath caught in his throat as he watched Diana descend the spiral staircase in the tunnel library. Diana was stunning in Catherine's wedding dress and her own mother's veil. Dennis could hardly believe his eyes.

As she descended the stairs, Diana's eyes were drawn to Dennis like a magnet. She had always thought that this would never happen for her, that she would never be able to find the perfect mate. Then she had met Vincent only to find him already taken. She had continued to go through a succession of men, never able to find one that could live up to the icon of Vincent. Then out of nowhere Vincent's brother appeared, and it had truly been love at first sight.

Vincent had eyes only for Catherine, who preceded Diana down the stairs. He leaned toward Dennis and remarked in a low voice. "We are both incredibly lucky men, my brother."

"You won't get any argument from me." Dennis responded without taking his eyes from Diana.

The wedding was very simple. As Dennis and Diana gazed into each other's eyes and repeated their vows, Vincent and Catherine were also renewing their love silently over their link.

Soon it was over and everyone headed to the dining chamber where the reception was held. There was a lot of hugging and congratulations exchanged.

Elder Jennifer remarked several times how pleased she was with both her son's choices in brides. She also noted the fact that both of her boys had ended up with green eyed redheads. Vincent had his beloved Catherine and now Dennis had the lovely Diana. Father, who had developed a strong attachment to Elder Jennifer, was also pleased with the outcome. He had thought his chance of having a growing family of his own were gone and now he had Vincent's family and Jennifer was pulling him into the rest of her family as well.

As Jacob watched the half brothers, their arms around their wives, clustered by the punch bowl and talking about married life, Peter Alcott came up and clapped him on the back. "Jacob, old friend, I'll bet that is a scene you never expected to witness." He chuckled softly. "As a wise men have told us; Truth is often stranger than fiction; and life is what happens to you while you're making other plans."

_**Continued in Part 6**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	6. The Reporter's Story

**Much Ado About Everything****  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
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**Chapter ****06 : The Reporter's Story**

Catherine hung up the phone with a soft smile on her face. The news from Agent James McClendon of the FBI had been good. It looked like it was going to be smooth sailing for her growing family. She knew Vincent would be pleased. Her reverie was interrupted by Joe as he came by her desk, ranting under his breath. "What's wrong Joe?" She asked.

"It's those damn lawyers for the Geonelly gang." He waved a rather large handful of papers. "They've just hit us with another deluge of motions. They're all just groundless nuisance and delaying tactics but it will take time to deal with them."

Catherine shook her head. "If those are anything like the last batch, any half brained law student could deal with them. Just hand them off to a couple of the interns, give them a taste of real lawyering. Then you can use your time doing a RICO on them and freezing all of Geonelly's assets. You can use the information we got in that anonymous tip that came in this morning. See how anxious those sharks are to waste a lot of time when their gravy train starts drying up."

Joe grinned. "I like the way your mind works, Radcliffe." Then he snapped his fingers. "Oh did you ever get back to Agent McClendon?"

"I just got off the phone with him. He said that it looked like there would be no trouble with the adoption. That addendum to the report of the car wreck, that included Naomi, worked out nicely. You're sure you don't mind being listed as the one that caught her." She asked for the dozenth time. She knew how Joe felt about the sanctity of official reports.

"Hey how could I turn down the chance to be a hero? I was home all alone by myself that night, unfortunately, so there is no one to contradict me, and we certainly can't list Vincent as the one who caught her, though I suspect that the description of what really happened would make a lot more spectacular reading."

The web Catherine had been required to weave to keep Vincent and the tunnels out of the report had involved several friends, beginning with Joe as the one who caught Naomi when she had been thrown from the shot up car. Peter was listed as the one who originally treated her wounds and Catherine's friend Nancy and her family had been listed as the ones who had looked after Naomi while everyone had been looking for her. Agent McClendon was aware that the report addendum was probably made up of whole cloth but wasn't about to question it. He had far too much respect for Catherine and her 'secret network', whatever it was, to risk exposing such a valuable resource, especially after the Gabriel gang corruption trials and that massive UN spy ring case.

"Well thanks anyway." She glanced at her watch and began clearing her desk. "Well I have to be getting home. Don't forget that we're getting together next Saturday."

"I won't forget; Sammy won't let me." He grinned and headed off, humming the theme to '**Jaws**' as he went in search of a couple of interns to corner and dump this latest legal morass on.

~ o ~

Catherine looked up from her dinner plate and grinned at Vincent. "By the way, I heard from James today. He said there will be no problem arranging for me to adopt Naomi through the witness protection program. He's already started pushing it through and it should be finalized by December."

Vincent smiled. He had known that she had some good news and had been waiting patiently for her to spring it on him. It was like a game with them. "That is wonderful. Maybe we can announce it at Winterfest. I am very pleased and I know it will make Naomi happy."

"I'll tell her next weekend when I'm taking her to Nancy's." Catherine smiled. Naomi had spent occasional weekends at Nancy's, in part to help keep her grounded in normal family life and to help give their little fabricated web some validity.

~ x x x x x ~

Catherine looked at her stack of just opened mail with frank curiosity and just a little bit of trepidation. The last and largest envelope had contained a couple of pages from Sunday morning's 'Times'. Why would anyone mail her an advanced copy of part of the 'Times' newspaper? What she saw of the front page of the metro section looked fairly ordinary. Then she unfolded it and, after scanning down, she saw a headline that made her blood freeze and her hands shake. The byline was 'Thomas Johnson' and the title was 'The Reality Behind An Urban Legend'. Sensing her distress, Vincent came up behind her and placed his arm around her waist as he looked over her shoulder to see what had upset her. His arm tightened around her as he took in the title of the article. Fearfully they both began to read.

x

* * *

**The Reality Behind An Urban Legend**

By THOMAS JOHNSON  
Staff Writer

Every city has its own urban legends, myths and tall tales, and New York City certainly has its share. They range from the classic 'alligators in the sewers' to the humorous 'black out babies' to the mysterious 'Lady of the Bridge'. It is the mysterious that today concerns this reporter. The strange, the spooky, the thing lurking in the dark. In this city, that includes such legends as the 'Lady of the Bridge', the 'Subway Phantom', the 'Ghost of Wall Street', and the 'Creature of Central Park' among many less well known ones.

It was the urban myth of the 'Creature of Central Park' that was forcefully brought to my awareness several months ago when my life was saved by that very same Creature of Central Park . . . or at least by the myth of his existence. To this day I can not prove which it was.

I had tracked down Catherine Chandler in the park late one evening to try and get an interview from her when we found ourselves surrounded by a gang of thugs bent on doing us serious harm. Some of them were already nervous because of recent rumors of the creature's appearance. Just when things looked bleakest, a large figure appeared out of the darkness, roaring or bellowing, depending on who you talk to, and scared most of the thugs into fleeing. When the police showed up, moments later, the large person/creature/whatever, vanished again into the shadows of the park. As the police report states we never got a clear look at it/him, but to this day I am still half convinced that I had a close encounter with that very same mythical creature. A scar left by one of the knife wielding thugs was my only solid evidence of the encounter.

I spent a year, after that event, trying to verify whether what I thought I saw was reality or a combination of shadow and myth. All I could find was anecdotal stories of a few people that swore that they had been saved by the creature. Like mine, just word of mouth tales with no verifiable proof. I can't prove that it was the creature and I can't prove that it wasn't. In the end I was left with a mystery that had saved my life, and maybe it's better that way.

Later on, two illuminating thoughts occurred to me. If someone had found that it was only a very large hairy man that roamed the park at night, I don't think those thugs would have run away and today yours truly might just be another statistic. If someone had proved the creature's existence, the scientists or the government would have hauled it off for study so that it would not have been there that night, and again I might have become just another statistic.

When you think about it, isn't it the mysteries of life that give it the spice, the magic? You take away the mystery and we loose a little of the magic in our lives. Without that sense of magic, of the mystery, of the unknown, life can become so mechanical, so boring.

In the end it is the mystery, the unknown, that gives these myths their power. Though the subway phantom was found to be an ordinary man, a vigilante, by the name of Jason Walker, the man was never caught and the ghost of his memory still haunts the subways of New York to this day. As a result the subways are just a little bit safer because the bad guys still fear his reappearance. Those that drive across the bridges of Manhattan are just a bit more courteous because of the remote possibility that the 'Lady of The Bridge' will show up and take her vengeance if they don't. Likewise, the pathways of Central Park are just a bit safer after dark because the creature that may, or may not, lurk there might show up and come after you if you enter the park with evil intent.

So, in the final analysis, maybe it is best if they just remain among the unsolved mysteries of this great city of ours.

- - x - -

* * *

Vincent and Catherine looked at each other for a moment. Thomas had kept his word yet still written his article about Vincent. Catherine smiled in her relief as she turned in his arms. "How does it feel to be an unsolved urban myth?"

Vincent grinned back. "I feel much safer with the unsolved mystery of the Creature of Central Park." He gave her a little kiss. "And I can guarantee that this particular urban myth will always keep you safe when you are in the park after dark." He kissed her again, this time a little deeper.

~ x x x x x ~

Joe turned to the Metro section of his Sunday paper and froze when one of the headlines below the fold on the front page caught his eye. Sammy caught the look on his face and came around the table to see what he had reacted to. When she saw the headline she gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. Fearfully they both began to read the article. By the time they reached the end of the article Sammy had relaxed and Joe was chuckling at the way the article had played them.

Joe called Catherine to see if she had seen the article and was told about the advanced copy she had received the day before. By the end of the day nearly every one of Catherine's friends that were in-the-know had called her about that article.

~ x x x x x ~

Joe, the confirmed bachelor and skirt chaser, stared at a sight he had never expected to see in his life. It wasn't just the appearance of the woman herself, who was so unlike what he thought of as his normal type, that was so unexpected. It was the fact that this tall beautiful woman was about to become his wife, that he found so mind boggling. His was a life that didn't easily fit into most women's ideas of a mate, yet she loved and accepted him exactly as he was, flaws, job, and all.

At his sister's suggestion Joe had gotten a judge that was an old friend of his father and very close to his whole family to officiate at his wedding. It was a very small group that had been invited to this small private affair, though there were some surprises. Besides his sister's family there was one of the city's wealthy elite, Elliot Burch, and a fast rising supermodel, Victoria Burch. Catherine, Diana, Dennis, Jenny and Father were also there.

As Joe and Sammy stood in Catherine's rooftop garden, overlooking Central Park, they solemnly pledged their lives and futures to each other. The ceremony was very short and simple. The reception was held in Catherine's parlor. Because of the judge and Joe's sister's family, Vincent had stayed below with the twins while the wedding guests were in the brownstone.

~ x x x x x ~

Thomas and Misty spent a lazy evening strolling through Central Park together. They were near the band shell and it was just after dark so they were headed back toward the street to get a cab when they spotted another couple way far ahead of them on the path and headed in their direction. The other couple stopped too far away for him to see their faces. One was very tall and broad, the other very petite by comparison. Thomas paused for a moment thinking there was something familiar about the other couple then he realized that they reminded him of Catherine and Vincent.

With his arm firmly around Misty's waist he moved forward at a brisk pace. The other couple stayed put and waited as he approached. He soon recognized Catherine but the hooded cloak that Vincent wore effectively concealed his features. It wasn't until they were less than ten feet away before he could make out the leonine face in the shadow of the hood.

"Good evening Catherine, Vincent." He greeted them as they got close.

"Good evening to you, too." Vincent responded. "It's a very nice night for a romantic walk in the park."

Thomas tightened his arm around Misty as he replied. "That it is." He looked over at her. "That it is."

Catherine spoke up. "You know I owe you one for that article you wrote. I nearly had a heart attack when I first saw the headline of that story." She smiled. "But I liked the article itself and thought it was very good."

Misty overcame her sense of awe of Vincent at this point and commented. "Thomas can be a bit of a stinker when he exposes his more mischievous side." She managed a smile. "But I'm getting used to it."

With an exchange of friendly goodbyes they separated and Catherine and Vincent headed deeper into the park while Thomas and Misty headed out of it.

Misty glanced back over her shoulder at the retreating couple. "In all my wildest dreams, I never thought I would one day encounter something like Vincent." She remarked as they approached the road, "much less actually be on friendly terms with him." She shook her head in amazement then looked at Thomas with a smile. "Or be taking long romantic walks in Central Park with the city's top newspaper reporter."

Thomas smiled back at her. "After a few years in the news business, one thing I've learned is that reality always turns out to be far more unusual and unpredictable than anything dreamed up by writers. Here we go." He raised his hand and a cab pulled over as they reached the street.

"Out kinda late, aren't you folks." The cab driver remarked as they got in. "They say that the creature comes out and roams the park after the sun goes down."

Thomas laughed. "Fortunately for this city, you're probably right about that." Then he directed the driver to Misty's home.

_**Continued in Part 7**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	7. The Adoption

**Much Ado About Everything****  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
**

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**Chapter ****07 : ****The Adoption**

Catherine looked up from the brief she was working on as a figure loomed over her. She instantly recognized her visitor and smiled up at the FBI agent. "Agent McClendon, how nice to see you."

"Good morning Miss Chandler." James McClendon responded, smiling back.

"Call me Cathy, please." She continued. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"I had a little business in town and I thought I would bring this." He pulled out a thick envelope and handed it to her.

Catherine's hands trembled in anticipation as she opened the envelope and pulled out the papers she found inside. Agent McClendon smiled as he watched her look through the official documents, her eyes misting up until she had to stop and dab at them with a tissue. Then she looked up at him. "I can't tell you how much this means to me Agent McClendon."

"Call me James, please." He grinned. "And I can tell by your reaction how much it means."

They were interrupted by a female voice. "So what's the big news?" James and Catherine looked over to see Jenny approaching. "Have I arrived at an auspicious moment?" She grinned at them.

"You usually do." Catherine responded, her eyes shining as she grinned up at her close friend. "Agent . . . ah James, here, just gave me Naomi's adoption papers." She waved the aforementioned item in her hand. "She is all ours now."

"That's fantastic. Vincent's going to be so pleased." She glanced at James. "Oops, did I just put my foot in it."

"Ah ha! Once again, the mysterious Vincent haunts the background." James smiled at Jenny. Something about her just seemed to draw his attention. "This isn't the first time that I've heard his name slip out." He looked back at Catherine. "I assume that she is referring to the same Vincent that was mentioned during that UN spy ring case two years ago. And also gave you that book of Shakespeare poetry I saw in your apartment three years ago." He paused and looked wistfully back at Catherine's slightly uneasy face. "Someday I would like to meet this very elusive fellow of yours." Now he was looking at Catherine's left hand. "Is this Vincent, by any chance, related to that ring?" There was a sound of polite but amused inquiry in his tone.

Catherine glanced down. "Damn, I was so caught up in this Geonelly case I forgot to shift it again."

"You're slipping Radcliffe." Joe remarked as he walked up. "Good to see you again Agent McClendon."

"He brought Naomi's adoption papers." Catherine remarked, waving them at Joe.

"That's great." Joe grinned. "Oh, Sammy just called from downstairs in the lobby. Are you two ready to go?"

"All set." Catherine replied. "James, would you like to join us for lunch?" She asked Agent McClendon.

James glanced at Catherine then looked a little longer at Jenny. With a shrug he replied. "I would like that, but I have a meeting three blocks over in about twenty minutes."

"To bad." Joe responded. "We gotta go."

The four of them rode the elevator down together. Catherine noticed that James kept glancing over at Jenny and Jenny glanced back at James a few times. Once she caught Jenny's eye and winked, causing Jenny to smile and look down as a little pink crept into her cheeks. When the elevator doors opened on the ground floor, Sammy was there waiting for them. James and Sammy were introduced to each other. In front of the building James turned and headed west, Catherine and her friends went North.

~ x x x x x ~

Catherine arrived home after a long frustrating day at work. Jennifer greeted her with news that the medicine Jacob had given her was working well and little Jennifer was much better. In the month and a half since her reunion with Vincent, Jennifer McCormick had become the self-appointed unofficial topside nanny of the twins. The rest of her free time nowadays was usually spent below with Father. Mary had confided to Catherine that Father and Jennifer were becoming quite fond of each other.

Vincent had just come in through the secret tunnel entrance when the doorbell rang. Catherine checked the video monitor and practically flew to the door. "It's Lee and Amanda." She called over her shoulder as she pulled the door open. "Lee, Amanda come in, come in." She stepped back to let them both into the parlor. Lee gazed at Vincent as thought verifying that he was really there. "What brings you to New York?" Catherine asked as she took their coats.

Still gazing at Vincent, Lee responded. "Another UN related spy case. This one is very minor compared to the one we worked on together two years ago." As Vincent came up Lee held out his hand and smiled. "You don't know how many nights I spent wondering if you were just a figment of my imagination. Good to see you again." As he shook Vincent's hand he continued. "A friend of mine at the FBI tells me that you are about to adopt that little girl, Naomi, that I saw in the tunnels."

Catherine jumped in. "Naomi has pretty much already adopted Vincent ever since Father's Day two years ago." She smiled at Amanda and Lee. "The paperwork has gone through and we are going to officially announce the adoption at Winterfest. Any chance you will be in town the last half of next month?"

"It could be possible but right now I can't really say for sure. You know how it is in the spy business. " Lee replied. "After everything I've heard about this Winterfest of yours, I would definitely like to see it. How does Naomi feel about the adoption?"

"Naomi is ecstatic about getting a whole new 'real' family of her own. Especially since it includes Vincent." Catherine replied. "And we're both looking forward to adding her to our growing family."

"That's right, we heard about the birth of your daughter." Amanda added. "That's one of the reasons we stopped by. We were hoping to meet her."

Jennifer entered the room and glanced at the two newcomers. "Catherine should I add two more places for dinner? There's plenty of food." She continued to stare curiously at the two strangers.

"That's a good idea. Would you two like to stay for dinner? We would love to have you." Catherine asked.

Lee looked at Amanda and shrugged. "We have no plans until tomorrow morning."

Vincent grinned. "Great. Two more for dinner, Mother." He faced a surprised Lee and Amanda. "Month before last, we managed to track down my biological mother, Jennifer McCormick. We'll fill you in after dinner. Meanwhile why don't we go upstairs to the nursery." Lee and Amanda followed Catherine and Vincent to the second floor.

They went to the back wall behind the staircase. Lee and Amanda looked at each other curiously as Catherine opened one of the doors to the built-in cabinets, reached in and moved something. She closed the cabinet door and, much to their surprise, the entire wall, with the built-in cabinet, slid aside revealing a short hall and two more doors. Catherine opened the door to the right and led them into a sweet little nursery with - two?- little baby beds.

Catherine and Vincent each lifted one of the babies for Lee and Amanda to see. "This is Little Jennifer and her twin brother, Jacob." Catherine remarked.

If Lee and Amanda's jaws could have hit the floor they would have. Amanda recovered first. "Oh my! They are both so adorable." Amanda stepped forward for a closer look. "My, he definitely favors his father doesn't he?" As Lee came up behind her she reached out to touch the sleepy infant's fuzzy cheek. "He is so precious." Then she turned her attention to the little girl as she yawned. "And for that matter, so are you, you sweet little thing."

Lee just shook his head. "You two never cease to amaze me. Congratulations."

After thoroughly checking out and passing around the sleepy infants, elder Jennifer came up and shooed them back downstairs for dinner while she stayed behind to watch over the two babies. As the four of them ate dinner, they caught up on all the latest gossip. The revelation that surprised Lee and Amanda as much as baby Jacob, was Catherine's announcement that Abigail was pregnant. Amanda was dumbfounded that her mother's twin sister could be pregnant at her age. They all thought it would have been interesting to have been present to see Laura's reaction when she had found out about it.

After dinner they retired to the parlor where Lee and Amanda listened in rapt attention as Catherine and Vincent told them about the discovery of Vincent's mother and his half brother. Then it was late and they had a long day ahead of them so Lee and Amanda headed back to their hotel.

~ x x x x x ~

Catherine picked up her phone. "District Attorney's office. Catherine Chandler Speaking."

She was greeted by a familiar voice from the past. "Hello Cathy, it's Laura. We just got into town about two hours ago. We heard the news about mother, and Remington and I were hoping you could lead us down, 'Below', to see her."

Catherine took a moment to collect her thoughts. "I think that can be arranged. Can you meet me after work?"

"Sure. What time?" Laura asked.

Catherine glanced at her watch, it was nearly four, and then she glanced at the papers on her desk. "Meet me at work around six." Catherine replied.

"That sounds fine. We'll see you then."

~ o ~

It was almost six and Catherine began cleaning up her desk when she saw Laura and Remington approaching. She nodded acknowledgment to them as she plopped some files into her working tray. Then she looked back up in surprise when she realized that Laura was carrying a baby. "I see there have been some changes since I last saw you." She commented as she locked her desk. She spotted Joe approaching as she grabbed her coat.

"Only working an hour late, Radcliffe?" He smiled at her then turned to her visitors. "Remington and Laura. It's been two years since that little UN dustup." He glanced at the baby. "How have you been?"

"We've been doing quite well lately." Remington replied, with a grin and a possessive arm around his wife.

"I'm out of here, Joe." Catherine remarked as she put on her coat then she turned her attention to her visitors. "We'll use the tunnel access in the building across the street." She started towards the door with Remington and Laura following.

"See you tomorrow." Joe called as they reached the elevators then went back to his office.

Laura looked at Catherine in surprised curiously. "Does Joe know about the tunnels?" She asked.

"Yes, he just recently found out about them." Catherine grinned. "He fell hard for a girl from the tunnels and they moved in together. They just recently were married." She chuckled. "A lot has changed since the last time you were here."

The walk to the central tunnels passed quickly as they related recent changes in their respective lives. Vincent was there waiting when they arrived at Paul and Abigail's chamber.

Catherine and Vincent smiled as they observed the reunion of Laura and her mother. Abigail was delighted with Laura's new son. When the subject came around to Abigail's pregnancy, she admitted that it had been quite a surprise and that she and Paul were both a little worried about having a baby at her age. Remington and Laura told everyone that they would be in town for two weeks and Abigail suggested that they must come to Winterfest. The invitation was accepted.

The next day Remington and Laura came over to visit Catherine and Vincent, and to see their new twins. They were surprised and amazed when they saw little Jacob for the first time. Remington admitted that he had been curious about whether Vincent's uniqueness was inheritable. Catherine told them what their doctor friends believed about Vincent's genetics.

Two days later Lee, Amanda and Dorothy West, Abigail's identical twin sister, arrived in New York for Winterfest. Dorothy was fascinated with the twins and Vincent's mother. They also got to meet Vincent's adopted big brother Devin, who had showed up two months ago when he had gotten the word about the discovery of Vincent's mother. He had stayed for Winterfest. All of the newcomers were curious and eager to attend this party that they had heard so much about.

~ x x x x x ~

Naomi came running up and gave both Catherine and Vincent big hugs. Jenny grinned down at her and ruffled her hair. "Tonight's your big night, isn't it?"

Naomi grinned back. "Uh-huh. Tonight I get adopted." Then it was time for the procession from the dining chamber to the great hall. Naomi was so excited that she could barely contain herself during the short trek.

~ o ~

Volunteers had begun clearing away the tables as Catherine glanced over at a totally astounded group of newcomers. Lee, Amanda and Dorothy were still trying to absorb all the wonder of their first Winterfest. An equally stunned Laura and Remington sat next to them, also overcome by what they had experienced.

Abigail was enjoying watching their reactions. This was her third Winterfest since she and Paul had found their way down here two years ago last summer. Though she still spent a lot of time 'Above' and still maintained an apartment in upper Manhattan, for her and Paul this subterranean world had become their true home. This was where they were happiest and this was where they planned to raise their child.

As soon as the stage had been set up, Catherine, Vincent and Father stepped up onto it. Mary brought Naomi up to them and Father addressed the assembled crowd. "Family, Friends and helpers. It has been said that the child is the meaning of this life, and our community has been built on the concept of family. Today we celebrate this with a very special event."

Catherine spoke as she took one of Naomi's hands. "Today we welcome Naomi into our family by announcing that we have officially adopted her."

Vincent took Naomi's other hand and spoke next. "We promise to love her and to raise her as our own child with compassion and understanding."

Catherine continued. "We welcome her into our family with love, that she may be able to love."

Vincent finished up. "And we welcome her with a new family name. Naomi has opted to retain her original family name as her middle name. Therefore, may I present to you Naomi Neil Chandler-Wells."

Vincent's biological mother, Elder Jennifer, stepped up holding Little Jennifer and Jenny handed little Jacob to Father. Devin, Dennis and Diana also joined them on the stage. As they all stood there as a family, Vincent and Catherine spoke together. "Welcome to our family, Naomi." Then, to the cheers of the crowd, Vincent and Catherine kneeled down and together embraced Naomi. Jenny stood off to the side next to Nancy as they both teared up.

The short ceremony over, the happy family retired to a side table as the musicians took the stage. They all looked over the official adoption papers that James had brought from Washington, while others came by to congratulate the enlarged family.

Father sat nearby thinking over how much things had changed in the last two years. Vincent was now a married family man living in a very high class brownstone that faced Central Park. Then Lee and Amanda came up to add their congratulations reminding Father, as he shook his head in amazement, that two of Vincent's friends happened to be very high up in a covert government agency. Life in the tunnel community had certainly undergone many, unusually fortuitous, changes since Catherine first appeared in their lives and yet had managed to maintain its basic character.

Then it was time to put the babies to bed. Naomi was allowed to stay up another hour since it was such a special occasion for her.

_**Continued in Part 8**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	8. Entanglements

**Much Ado About Everything****  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter ****08 : ****Entanglements**

Catherine looked up from her desk to see Agent James McClendon standing over her. It had been nearly six months since she had last seen him. She was immediately alert to the worn-out serious look on his face. "Hello James." She remarked. "What brings you to New York this time?"

He eased into a chair beside her desk. "I'm working on a case of corruption involving someone in the CIA. I have a witness that needs protection and I have twice been targeted for assassination in the last two weeks. I know this must put you in an awkward position, and I wouldn't ask this if I had any other decent options, but I just can't risk using any of the normal channels." He glanced around. "I was hoping that you might be able to hide my witness and myself for a short while."

Catherine glanced around quickly. "Who knows that you are here in New York?" She asked.

"No one." He paused. "I made my own travel arrangements. Even my supervisor doesn't know where I went or when I left. I didn't tell my witness where we were going until we arrived here." He paused and a hint of a smile crossed his face. "I chose New York because I have learned to trust your resources. Also I was hoping I might get to see Naomi and possibly the rest of your family." He tilted his head. "Who knows, maybe I might even get to meet this mysterious Vincent of yours."

Catherine was unsettled to hear him mention Vincent's name, even though she remembered that Vincent's name had been mentioned in his hearing once or twice during the UN spy ring case and again a month before the last Winterfest. She pushed that worry aside and got down to business. "How are your people supposed to contact you if they need you?"

"I left two methods. They can leave messages for Abigail Cartwright in the Washington Post . . ." His voice trailed off at the look of surprise on Catherine's face. "What?" He asked, uncertain what he had said.

"How did you know about that?" Catherine asked.

"Know about what? I just combined the names of the two people that were involved in that shoot out at your apartment building that broke the UN spy case." He gazed at her curiously. "Did I put my foot in it somehow?"

Catherine shook her head. "Not really. It's just that Abigail and Paul got married about a year and a half ago and, believe it or not, she is expecting a child in another month."

James shook his head. "Wait. I thought they were both in their sixties."

"Why do you think I said 'believe it or not'? And Abigail is actually in her late fifties, though she only admits to being over thirty-nine." Catherine chuckled then got serious again. "What was the other contact method?"

"I told my supervisor that, in an emergency, he could contact me quicker through Lee Stetson of Q-Branch or Remington Steele of Steele Investigations. I thought you could get in touch with Lee and Remington and let them know that you were my contact point." He watched her reactions to his idea. She looked thoughtful for a moment then gave an approving nod.

"Uh huh. OK." She nodded. "How would you characterize your witness?" She asked, looking closely at him.

"Scared. He's just a good person that happened to be in the right place to learn too much. It took him a while to screw up enough courage to contact us." James was gazing back at Catherine. "He's not a flight risk. He wants to do the right thing."

She nodded once, checked her rolodex, then made a call.

"Hello Lee, it's Cathy." . . .

"I just called to tell you that James McClendon has informed me that I am to be his point of contact." . . .

"Yes I know, he just told me about it." . . .

"I will, and thanks." . . .

"She's doing fine so far and the baby's due middle of next month." . . .

"OK talk to you later." . . .

She hung up and checked her watch then she called another number.

"Hello Mildred, this is Cathy Chandler, Is Remington or Laura in yet?" . . .

"Good. Can I talk to her?" . . .

"Laura, it's Cathy Chandler. I just called to tell you that if someone from the FBI calls you with a message for James McClendon, you are supposed to relay it to me as soon as possible." . . .

"Yea, he's staying in town for a while." . . .

She glanced up at James. "No, he's never met him." . . .

"Maybe some day." . . .

"Sure I'll tell her." . . .

"Bye, and don't forget to let Remington know."

She made four more calls. The first one was to a cab company. Two of them were, apparently, to arrange for an apartment. The last one was to Jenny, telling her to expect visitors this evening. Then she turned her attention back to James. "Where did you leave your witness?" James pointed to a bench by the far wall. There were two people she recognized sitting there and one rather nerdy looking young man that she hadn't seen before. She grabbed her purse and stood up. "Let's go."

James glanced at Catherine speculatively as they walked away from her desk. "The 'him', that you said I've never met, wouldn't by any chance be Vincent would it?" He asked.

She looked back at him for a moment shrugged then grinned. "Aaahh, that would be telling."

She paused at Joe's office and leaned in the door to tell him that she would be away for a couple of hours. Joe acknowledged her without looking up from his cluttered desk. James gathered the young man from the bench as they passed it on the way out. As soon as they reached the street Catherine hailed a cab, that appeared to have been waiting for them, and they all piled in. James was a bit surprised when he noticed that the driver did not start the timer. Noticing the direction of his gaze, Catherine clarified. "There will be no record of this trip for anyone to trace."

James and his witness both looked at Catherine quizzically when the cab pulled up to a very high end apartment building that was next to Central Park. "This is where you will be staying." She replied to his unasked question. Then she shrugged. "You should remember this place, James. It's where that shootout happened. I own the joint so don't worry about the cost." She got out of the cab. "Thanks for the help." She told the driver, who merely smiled back in response before pulling away.

James looked up at the building. "I do remember this place. This is where you were living when you rescued Naomi." He remarked as they entered the building. He looked around the lobby, it hadn't changed much. "I understand you live in a brownstone just south of here now."

"That's correct." She replied as they approached the security desk.

"14B Miss Chandler." The guard at the front desk told her as he handed her two keys.

In the elevator she gave the young man with James the standard spiel on how to remain safely hidden without just locking himself in his room. James was very impressed with her practical knowledge of the matter. On the 14th floor Catherine let them into apartment B. It was a small two bedroom apartment with a balcony that gave a partial view of the park. She handed them each a key. "My friend Jenny lives upstairs in my old apartment. She said that she would drop in on you this evening to see how you're doing. If you have any problems she will probably be able to help, or get you to someone who can."

"Jenny?" James looked at her curiously.

"Jenny Aronson. You met her in my hospital room after I was rescued from Gabriel and again the last time you were in New York." She replied.

James nodded. "Aah, the one that reads people." He smiled. "I remember her. I hadn't made the connection when I ran into her in your office. I remember now meeting her in your hospital room."

"If you need her for anything, she is in apartment . . ."

"18A . . . I remembered your old apartment." James remarked.

"That's right." Catherine replied then she gave them a few last minute instructions and a list of a few numbers for merchants that could supply their needs without leaving a paper trail on any traceable credit cards. After seeing them settled in, she left and headed back to the office.

~ o ~

James was glancing through the menu from the Deli downstairs when there was a knock at the door. The witness nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound. James drew his gun and cautiously approached the door. He glanced out the peep hole and recognized Cathy Chandler's pretty friend Jenny Aronson. He opened the door and invited Jenny in.

"Hello James, I came down to see how you were settling in." Jenny remarked as she entered.

"It's good to see you again, Jenny." He responded as he noted how nice she looked. He indicated his witness. "Jenny, this is Steven. Steven, this is Jenny. She's a close friend of Cathy Chandler."

"Pleased to meet you, Steven, and don't worry, you're safe here. The security in this building is very good and nobody knows where you are except Cathy and me." She glanced at the table. "Have you eaten yet?"

"No, we were just about to order." James pointed to the menu on the table.

Jenny smiled. "How about Chinese." She sat down at the table. "I know a place that will fix what ever you want and the food is excellent."

"Sounds good to me." James responded. "What about you, Steve?" They both described what they wanted. Jenny got on the phone and talked to someone named Henry Pei. "Is this another of Cathy's contacts?" James asked.

"As a matter of fact, Cathy helped hide Henry and Lin from a vicious Tong leader until he was finally brought down. She was also at their wedding." Jenny chuckled. "You would be surprised how many people are in Cathy's circle because she helped them out of a jam of one kind or another."

"I can imagine." James replied. "She has certainly helped me on more than one occasion."

Steven spoke up. "Why does she do it? I mean if she owns this building, then she is obviously very well off, so why does she risk herself by getting involved in the troubles of people like me?"

Jenny smiled at Steve. "Why did you involve yourself in this case, though it put you in harms way?" She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Like you, it's because that is just the type of person she is and because she can." Jenny shrugged. "To Cathy, her wealth and influence are merely things that make it easier for her to help good people who are in trouble, or have nowhere else to turn."

"So tell me how did you come to know Cathy?" James asked.

Jenny stared thoughtfully into space for a moment. "Cathy and I became friends our freshman year in college. My family wasn't rich and I was at Radcliffe on a literature scholarship. A lot of the other students looked down on me and wouldn't give me the time of day but Cathy treated me as an equal. Being wealthy, she had her own dorm room all to herself and she let me stay there to save me the expense of paying for housing. It's the only way I was able to make my scholarship money stretch far enough to cover everything. She did the same thing for our friends Nancy and Rebecca. We four became very close that first year and have remained so ever since." She continued to smile to herself. "No matter what she may claim about her younger self, she has always been a kind and generous spirit."

James smiled to himself as he listened to Jenny. It seemed that everyone that came into Cathy Chandler's orbit quickly came to admire her and care about her. He knew that he had certainly been impressed by her from their very first encounter when she had rescued the five year old Naomi and again a few months later when the Gabriel case had broken wide open. "I do find that she is a remarkable woman."

They continued to talk, mostly about Jenny and Catherine's adventures in college, for the next half hour. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was their meal. James and Steven were both impressed by how good the food was. Their conversation continued where it left off. Jenny was finding herself drawn to James and he was very interested in her. Steven was just enjoying the good company and conversation.

"So how is Vincent doing now-a-days." James asked out of the blue.

Jenny looked at him, startled, then gave him an appraising look. "You're fishing, aren't you?" She smiled knowingly.

He shrugged. "Can't blame a guy for trying." He grinned. "I've been curious about Cathy's mysterious Vincent ever since I first met her." He smiled. "The first time I was in her apartment, I noticed that she had a book of Shakespeare's sonnets on her living room table that had been inscribed to her by Vincent. That's when I first became aware of him."

Jenny nodded. She was familiar with that book and had seen the inscription. "I'm afraid that is one thing you will have to learn about from her. Vincent is very special and **very** unique, and there are good reasons to keep him secret."

Jenny finally left after another hour. After settling in for the night, James lay there speculating about Cathy's Vincent.

~ x x x x x ~

Over the next week Jenny came by each day after work, to check up on James and Steven. Often she would pick-up dinner for all three of them on the way. James really enjoyed her company and began to look forward to dinner time each day.

Jenny also acted as intermediary, shuttling messages between James and Catherine in order to reduce the chances of anyone finding out about her connection to his current disappearance. In a way Jenny even got a little charge out of playing clandestine messenger.

Though Cathy had not suggested it, Jenny had made it her purpose to personally watch over James and Steven. Besides she really enjoyed James's company and it gave her more excuses to see him. She wondered if her friend was aware of her interest in James. After a moment's contemplation, she decided that Cathy probably did know. She even had a sneaking suspicion that it was the reason Cathy had hid them in this building.

~ x x x x x ~

Jenny was feeling very disquieted as she went through her morning and was sure it had something to do with James. She took a long lunch and headed straight to James's apartment from work. As soon as James opened his door she knew she had been right. James looked serious but he tried not to let on that there was anything wrong as he invited her in.

"James, I know something's wrong, what is it?" She demanded as soon as he closed the door.

James stared at her in surprise for a moment. How did she know? Then he remembered how perceptive she had been that day in Cathy's hospital room. "I just got a message from my boss telling me that his communications are being monitored."

Jenny gazed at him for a moment. "That means that someone is really looking hard for you doesn't it?" She got all business like. "I'll call Cathy and invite her to dinner, and then I can let her know what's going on. She can put out feelers to see if there is any danger." She turned toward the door then glanced back at James. "I'll be back tonight, after I talk to Cathy." Then she left the apartment. James was trying to make light of it but she knew the situation was turning very serious.

As soon as she returned to work, Jenny called Catherine and 'reminded' her that they were to meet at the restaurant for dinner after work. Then she called a couple of authors she knew that often had the inside scoop about what went on in Washington.

Whenever Jenny reminded her of a dining appointment that didn't exist, Catherine knew that something important was up and Jenny was worried about being overheard. She said she would be there, then called home and left a message with Elder Jennifer to 'remind' her that she was having dinner with Jenny this evening and would be home late.

Vincent understood the meaning of Catherine's message and was anxious to know what it was about. He suspected that it might have something to do with that FBI agent that she was hiding and decided to shadow Catherine from the tunnels when she left work, just in case she needed him.

_**Continued in Part 9**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	9. Surprises

**Much Ado About Everything****  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter ****09 : ****Surprises**

Full of curiosity, Catherine showed up at the restaurant that she and Jenny had used before for such meetings. It was a very high end restaurant that offered plenty of private secluded alcoves. After telling Catherine about the message James had received from his boss, she told Catherine that, through some of her contacts, she had learned that there was something major going on inside the C.I.A. and there were a lot of very nervous people inside the agency looking very hard for someone. Then Jenny and Catherine talked over contingency plans in-case the apartment building became compromised.

"I don't like it and I know Father will squawk, but, if it looks like James and his charge are in danger, you may have to take them into the tunnels." Catherine thought about it for a moment then nodded her head. "If you stick to the upper utility tunnels you can get them to my place pretty quickly. Everyone in New York knows about the old utility tunnels under Manhattan so we can use them without actually exposing the existence of Below to them."

"What about Vincent and the twins?" Jenny objected. "If we show up at your secret door without warning, Vincent and Jacob could be exposed."

"We will just have to cross that bridge when we get to it, but if you have the option try to call me or Vincent before you take them down into the utility tunnels." She paused a moment, thinking. "If you bring them in through our basement entrance, Vincent will be able to sense your presence and take the twins out through one of the concealed doors on the upper floors. From there, he can go down the hidden stairs into the tunnels and, that way, they'll pass each other without ever actually meeting. I'll talk to Vincent about it when I get home tonight." She lost focus for a moment then shook her head and grinned. "Vincent is in the tunnels below us right now waiting to find out what's up."

"Are you going below from here?" Jenny asked.

"No, there is no direct access to Below from here. I'm going to go home in the normal expected way, just in case 'they' are already watching me." Catherine nodded her head as if setting something in her mind. "After I've talked to Vincent, I'll come back by way of the tunnels tonight to let you know what we decided. Then we can go talk to James afterward if necessary."

After Catherine left for home Jenny stopped in to see James and let him know that Cathy was on the case and might be by to see them latter tonight.

Vincent was waiting for Catherine when she entered the brownstone. As she changed clothes she told Vincent about her dinner with Jenny and what they had discussed.

Vincent considered the situation for a bit before adding his thoughts. "You made the right decision. This situation could play itself out at any time without warning. We can't spend the next few months in hiding. You have to be available for your job. You also need to keep up your normal routines, because you don't want to tip anyone off that may be watching. I certainly don't want to be separated from you so your suggestion seems to be the best option. We'll both just stick to our normal routine and play it by ear." He glanced over at the twins in the playpen. "As an additional safety factor, I can take the children Below with me during the daytime and only bring them Above at night. I'll tell Mother about the change in routine."

"That seems like the best idea." Catherine remarked. "I really don't want to be separated from you and the twins for days or weeks, either."

~ o ~

Catherine was sitting at the dining table with James and Steven in their apartment. "If Jenny or I call you and tell you to get out of there fast. It means that it had hit the fan and you are in imminent danger. In that event, take the stairs all the way to the bottom and hide in the back of the basement storage area. Someone will meet you there and lead you to safety."

~ x x x x x ~

Lee Stetson looked up from his desk in Q-branch as he became aware of his wife's approach.

"Lee, I just ran across this memo in the daily traffic monitor." Amanda showed him the printout. "Why would Kramer be mentioned in a C.I.A. memo about Catherine Chandler?"

Lee Stetson read through the memo then looked at another memo that was sitting on his desk. He looked up at her, concerned. "We have to see Billy about this immediately."

Together they took the secret elevator down into the bowels of the top secret government agency. With a cursory knock on his door, Lee and Amanda barged into Billy's office.

Billy glanced up, annoyed at the interruption, and noticed the serious look on Lee and Amanda's faces as she closed the office door. He knew that look. "I hope you have a good reason for barging in like this Scarecrow." Billy remarked severely though he was already sure that it was important and serious.

"I think we may have just discovered evidence that we have a C.I.A. mole in the agency." Lee responded to his boss as he handed both memos over to Billy.

Billy became very grim after reading the two memos. "I want Kramer put under twenty four hour, class A surveillance immediately. This has top priority. Find out what he is after and why, and do it quickly. With the current shakeup going on in the C.I.A, this could be very serious. And if you two have any involvement in this mess, keep it to yourselves and watch your backs." Billy didn't know for sure, but wouldn't have been surprised, if Lee and Amanda were involved in the actions of the F.B.I. and agent James McClendon

~ x x x x x ~

Vincent could tell that Catherine was distracted when she got home from work and asked her what had happened.

She looked at him a moment, sighed, then responded. "I got a call from Lee Stetson just before I left work. It seems that someone in the C.I.A. planted a mole in his agency and also staged a black bag raid on the Remington Steele offices. He said that he thinks that they were looking for connections to James and his witness and that they may now be focused on me. He wanted to warn me and said to tell James to lay low until they find out what this is about." She paused. "I've already called Jenny from a payphone near work to warn her so that she could warn James."

"What about Laura and Remington?" Vincent inquired.

Catherine's mouth quirked in a half grin as she responded to him. "Lee said that he was able to get a hold of Remington just in time. The police were called and they caught the C.I.A. raiders in the act. Some people in the C.I.A. are going to have a lot of explaining to do."

"If we just stick to your normal routine and we should be OK. We have hidden doors on every floor in-case of a break-in or an emergency." Vincent put his arms around her. "Tomorrow, for safety, I'll take the twins Below and leave them with Kanin and Olivia until things settle down one way or another."

Catherine frowned. "I wish that wasn't necessary, but you're probably right."

~ x x x x x ~

Saturday morning, Jenny woke up, heart pounding, from a nightmare of guns blazing, blood and guts flying, and James lying in a pool of his own blood. She was consumed with a sense of urgency. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was 8:25am, she jumped out of bed, grabbed her bathrobe and flew out her door. Seconds later she was pounding on the door to James' apartment.

~ o ~

Vincent was brought out of a pleasant dream by the feather light kisses and the warm _love_ he felt emanating from Catherine. He could smell the scent of warm toast, cinnamon and hot tea wafting through the air. He rolled over, stretched and yawned, just as Catherine cried out in startled distress. "Oh no! **Stop, Stop!**" He froze but it was already too late. His ears were assaulted by the crash and clatter of china and silverware hitting the hardwood bedroom floor. He cringed as he opened his eyes to see a large tray tilted at an oblique angle at the end of the bed, right where his left foot was currently located. He glanced up to see Catherine beside the bed with her eyes open wide in despair, hand over her mouth. Very carefully he eased his foot away from the tray and glanced over the side of the bed at the spreading dark liquid and sad shards of what probably would have been a very romantic morning breakfast.

After an hour of frantic cleanup Vincent glanced first at the now stripped down bed, then over at the small trashcan full of broken china, down at the now spotless floor, and finally into Catherine's frustrated eyes. He shrugged. "You sure know how to show a guy a good time."

She glared at him for a second then broke up laughing.

Vincent picked up the bulky bundle of bedding while Catherine grabbed the full trashcan and, together, they headed downstairs. When they reached the kitchen, Catherine grabbed the kitchen trash and headed out the back door. Vincent noticed the kitchen phone was off the hook and hung it up then continued down into the basement where he proceeded to wrestle the stained oversized comforter into the washing machine while projecting soothing emotions at the twins who had both just awakened and were hungry, fussy and needing to be changed. Then he heard the phone ringing up in the kitchen. A few seconds later he sensed a flash of _alarm_ from Catherine. Vincent paused as the _alarm_ was quickly followed by a sense of _controlled_ _urgency_ that lasted for a couple of minutes then _worry_. Vincent finished wresting the comforter into the washing machine and closed the lid.

Because of his distracted state, he only sensed the presences at the same instant that the concealed basement access to the tunnels swung open. He whipped around to see Jenny accompanied by two unfamiliar and very surprised men standing in the opening.

Catherine's voice came from the kitchen door at the top of the stairs. "Vincent, I just got a call from Lee. He said there was going to be a black bag raid on the apartment building by the C.I.A. I tried to call Jenny and James but neither of them is answering." Vincent heard her steps coming down the basement stairs as he stared back at the two very surprised men. "Could you run over there and see if . . ." She rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs and stopped dead as she spotted the new arrivals. "James, Jenny!" After a moment's hesitation, she went over to stand by Vincent as they all stared at each other.

After a few moments of silence, Jenny spoke up. "I'm sorry to barge in like this, but I just knew that I had to get James and Steven out of there right away." She shook her head. "I tried to call you but your phone was busy."

"It's OK, Jenny. Our phone was off the hook until about fifteen minutes ago. From what Lee just told me, you did the right thing. I called Henderson and told him that there might be a break-in at the apartment. I also called that reporter, Thomas Johnson, and told him there might be a big story breaking at my apartment building." Catherine put her arm around Vincent's waist and he reciprocated as she looked up at him. "I guess you don't need to go see if they are in the tunnels." She paused looking back at the three newcomers. "Vincent, this is F.B.I. agent James McClendon. I've told you about him. The other man is his witness Steven." She shrugged. "James I know that you have always been curious about Vincent." She looked back at Vincent. "Well, now it seems you finally get to meet each other."

"Vincent?" James voice cracked as he continued to stare at Vincent and his mind reeled at what he was seeing.

"Good morning, Agent McClendon." Vincent finally spoke. "Catherine has always thought very highly of you. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Jenny nudged the two stunned men further into the basement and closed the door behind them. "Vincent, you were supposed to be upstairs when we arrived." She turned her attention to James as she hooked her arm through his elbow. "Now you understand why we were so secretive about Vincent. He is a bit difficult to explain."

Finally James pulled himself together. "Ah, yea. A lot of things suddenly make sense."

"If you will excuse me, the twins are awake and they need attention." Vincent released his hold on Catherine and, after a moment's pause to start the washing machine, headed quickly up the stairs.

"Twins?" James shook his head as he watched Vincent disappear up the basement stairs. "I only heard about a daughter."

Catherine shrugged. "That's because her brother bears a strong resemblance to his father."

James' head snapped back down to look at Catherine as the significance of what she said sank in. Steven just stood there, stunned, trying to absorb what he had just seen and heard.

"Well as long as you're here, you may as well all come up to the parlor." Catherine then turned and headed for the stairs. James followed and, after a nudge from Jenny, Steven followed suit. As they reached the little kitchen and breakfast nook at the top of the stairs, James noticed an eight year old girl at the refrigerator.

"Mom, a . . ." Naomi looked at the new arrivals in surprise. "Hello Aunt Jenny." She gazed at the two strangers in open curiosity.

"Naomi, this is James McClendon." Catherine drew James forward. "He is the one that arranged it so that we could adopt you." She faced James. "I guess it is about time you two met."

Naomi smiled up at James. "Hi there, great meeting you . . . and thanks for helping me get my new family."

James blinked twice then held out his hand. "Well it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person young lady." She took his offered hand. "I'm glad you like your new family." Naomi grinned back as she shook his hand.

Catherine glanced at Jenny, noting the bathrobe she was wearing. "Jenny why don't you go up to my closet and find something more suitable to change into." Jenny thanked her and headed out of the kitchen and up the great spiral stairs.

Naomi beamed up at Catherine. "Daddy told me he would let me feed Jacob." She looked over at the two men. "Are you stayin' for breakfast?"

"Yes they are, honey." Catherine responded to her. "Will you set the table for . . . six?"

"OK mom." Naomi replied and pulled a stool over to the shelves so she could get out the plates.

~ o ~

Jenny watched James in amusement as he and Steven sat at the dining room table and watched in fascination as Vincent fed Jennifer while Naomi fed Jacob. The image before James was so incredible that he felt the need to pinch himself more than once to verify that he was awake. Catherine was in the kitchen whipping together a spur of the moment breakfast.

One of the things that struck James was the relationship between Vincent and Naomi. He was her daddy and she adored him. Most important was that Naomi appeared to be happy, and well adjusted. She showed no signs of trauma over the loss of her original family. Naomi giggled and Vincent smiled good-naturedly when little Jennifer got some of the baby cereal into the fur on Vincent's arm.

The smell coming from the kitchen was starting to make James and Steven very hungry by the time the babies had been fed and cleaned up. Jenny placed the twins in their playpen then, while Vincent and Naomi left the dining room to clean stray bits of baby food off themselves, Jenny went into the kitchen to help Catherine. James and Steven, who had been momentarily left on their own at the table, stared at each other in bemused amazement, as they processed the strange family scene they had just witnessed. With the exception of the physical appearance of Vincent and his son, it had looked so 'normal'.

James had been sure that placing Naomi in Cathy Chandler's care had been the right thing to do. He was even more convinced, now, that he had been right. No child could have a safer, more loving, home to grow up in.

The phone rang and Catherine answered it. After a couple of minutes of quiet conversation she hung up and entered the dining room. "That was Henderson. The raiders were caught coming out of the apartment and are in custody. At first they squawked about being official government agents until they realized that there was a reporter present. Then they clammed up, but Thomas already had enough to write a very sensational article for tomorrow's paper. There will be some very embarrassed people in the C.I.A. by tomorrow evening." She grinned. "That should help take some of the heat off you two."

James nodded to Steven. "If the investigation of those two raiding parties leads where I hope, then your testimony may become moot. It would certainly help to take you out of their crosshairs."

Vincent returned and glanced at their visitors. "Since the apartment building has been compromised, you are all welcome to stay here for the time being . . . At least until Catherine can find you another safe house."

"I wouldn't want to impose or endanger your family." James replied then was distracted by a giggle from Naomi who had just returned.

Catherine shook her head. "The only person endangered would be anyone fool enough to break into our home while Vincent is here."

Naomi added her two cents worth. "Nobody messes with my daddy." She nodded her head once indicating that it should be self evident.

James and Steven both glanced at Vincent, taking in his size, long sharp claws, and the fangs that showed when he grinned at Naomi. They both shivered at the idea of coming up against an angry Vincent.

Catherine smiled as she noticed the direction of their gaze. "And we have more than enough room to accommodate everyone." Naomi continued into the kitchen as Catherine announced, "Breakfast is served." Then she and Naomi began bringing the food out of the kitchen.

~ x x x x x ~

James, Jenny and Steven spent the next eight days in the brownstone. James got to know Vincent much better and was very impressed by his quiet intelligence and calm patience with the children. He also got to meet Vincent's mother and heard her story of Vincent's origin. The more he learned about Vincent the more he respected him.

James and Jenny also became very interested in each other during this time spent together under the same roof. The rooftop garden soon became a favorite spot for them. Naomi and Steven spent a lot of time playing chess, she was surprisingly good for her age.

James knew that Vincent and Naomi were both gone most of the day. He knew Naomi was at school somewhere, but he had no idea where Vincent disappeared to or what he did while he was gone. Naomi let it slip that he taught literature in the mornings, but James couldn't fathom where and to whom.

Meanwhile all hell broke loose in the media about the corrupt element in the C.I.A. It seemed that the two black bag operations they had been caught at, was only the tip of the iceberg. A small group within the C.I.A. had been carrying out many such illegal operations all over the country in the name of their own twisted version of national security.

The case soon broke wide open, and several arrests were made by the F.B.I., then James and Steven went back to Washington so that Steven could testify. By that point, between the press and the police, the bad guys had far more to worry about than one hard to find witness.

_**Continued in Part 10**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	10. Return Of The Father

**Much Ado About Everything****  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter ****10 : ****Return Of The Father**

At Catherine's request, Diana Bennett McCormick and Dennis McCormick met Jenny and Catherine at a small café near Central Park. After they were all settled Diana asked. "Well, here I am. You said you needed my help?"

Catherine responded. "There is an elderly bearded man at the news stand across the street. For the last couple of weeks, he has been following me. I have spotted him in the park across from my home several times. I didn't think anything of it at first but then I noticed him twice hanging around where I work. Today he followed me here and, as I mentioned, he is now over at that news stand." She paused while they ate and the others surreptitiously observed the man in question.

After a while Catherine continued. "He never gets very close and the two times I have tried to approach him he has left the area in a hurry. He also won't hang around if I'm with Joe." She paused when the waiter came by to refill their water and see if they wanted anything else.

After the waiter left Catherine continued. "I don't want to get the police involved in-case this somehow involves Vincent. I was hoping you could quietly find out who he is, and what it is he wants."

"I think I can manage that." Diana responded. "Do you want me to scare him off?"

"No, I don't think so just yet. First I want to find out what he's after." Catherine replied. "If it has something to do with me or my job then we can bring the police into it. But if this has something to do with Vincent or my children then I need to find some other way to deal with it."

"You can count on us." Dennis replied placing his arm around Diana's shoulder. "We'll help you any way we can."

"I'm here if you need me." Jenny remarked. "Lord knows you've done more for me that I could ever repay."

"Thanks, all of you. I really appreciate your help." Catherine responded.

After lunch they went their separate ways. That afternoon, with the help of Geoffrey, Diane staked out Catherine's brownstone. That evening Catherine arrived home by taxi. A second taxi passed by immediately after and Diane saw the bearded man inside it. Fifteen minutes later Diana spotted the gray bearded man approaching from inside the park. For the next several hours the man watched Catherine's brownstone from a vantage point where he could see the front of the place and the alley to the rear entrance without himself being seen.

From her vantage point Diana could see the bearded man without herself being seen and she could get to her car quickly if it became necessary. Diana thought the man seemed to be in better physical shape than his elderly appearance would lead one to believe. Geoffrey was located near by so that he could supply interference if needed and he could also get back to Diana quickly.

Diana was amused because she knew that Catherine had left the brownstone less than an hour after getting home. She and Jenny had taken Naomi to a concert in the park and would be spending the night Below. Vincent had taken the twins Below to Father and Elder Jennifer and was probably listening to the concert from the chamber below the drainage grate.

Around eleven that evening the automatic timer in the security system turned out most of the lights in the lower floor. A half hour later the lights in the top floor went out. An hour after that the bearded man caught a taxi and left.

Diana and Geoffrey followed the man to a very low rent apartment building in the Bronx. Geoffrey was able to establish which apartment was their quarry's and then settled in to keep watch. Dana engaged the night superintendent of the building in conversation and carefully pumped him for information on the bearded man.

The man in question was registered by the name of Julius Geneva. He was supposed to be in his late sixties and he had been living in the apartment for three months. He was very reclusive, always paid his rent in cash, and was seldom seen. Although that may have been unremarkable to the other denizens of this place, it was a very large red flag for Diana. This guy was trying very hard to not be noticed. Diana left Geoffrey to keep an eye out for the gray bearded man and went back to her office. There was no one there, which suited her fine. She got on the computer and ran a check on Julius Geneva. She was unable to find any records that matched her quarry. It was well past end of shift for the apartment's night superintendent so she headed back to the apartment building.

Around six in the morning the bearded man left his apartment and, at her first opportunity, Diana broke in while Geoffrey kept watch in the lobby. The place was a small two room efficiency. The first thing she noticed was that the place was relatively neat, not because of good housekeeping, but because there was a dearth of personal items. The state of the apartment left her feeling vaguely uneasy.

A careful search of the apartment turned up nothing useful for identifying the bearded man. The few pieces of clothing she found in the apartment all had the labels removed. She found a small empty carry-on suitcase in the corner of the closet. All the surfaces in the apartment that would normally carry personal items were disturbingly bare. This was a strictly temporary abode. Out of town hit men, people on the run, and spies were usually found in this type of accommodation. Nothing was left around for identification and there was nothing that couldn't be abandoned on a moment's notice. His toiletries only included the most basic essentials with one exception. She found a box of peroxide hair bleach. The kind of cheap product that would turn dark hair gray rather than white.

The only disarray in the entire place was a pile of papers on the low coffee table in front of the old sofa. On top of the pile was a picture of Cathy that must have been clipped from a news magazine. There were several pages of hand written notes. Most of Cathy's favorite hangouts were listed along with a list of the names, addresses, and some personal details, of most of her friends. Diana was amused to notice that she was listed simply as 'unknown redhead' followed by a question mark. There was also a rough schedule of a typical day in the life of Catherine Chandler. The rest of the stack was made up of news articles about Catherine Chandler.

After she had gone through the papers on the table she went back through the apartment and started checking for hiding places. She found three cheap twenty-two caliber pistols hidden in strategic locations for easy access. A quick check showed that they were loaded with hollow-points. Very nasty weapons at close range.

When she checked the small suitcase more closely, she noticed that the handle and the latches had a light dusting of talcum powder. This guy was definitely paranoid. She easily picked the lock and, finding the interior shallower than it should be, checked the suitcase over carefully till she found the false bottom. She pulled it out and discovered a couple of thousand dollars in fives, tens and a few twenties as well as two more of the 22 caliber pistols. She also found several other very disturbing items.

There were some newspaper articles about the fall of several corrupt New York City Officials from over two years ago. Under those she found some articles about the attack on Catherine Chandler in her elevator from three years ago. Below that were some more hand written notes. According to these notes, it appeared that the bearded man had spotted Catherine and a large hooded man together for just a moment in the park late one night, two and a half months ago, but had lost them. Two days later he had seen Vincent, without his hood up, over by the turtle pond and tried to get a closer look, but had lost him again before he could get very close to him. At the bottom of the stack she found an article about a sighting of the Creature of Central Park. In a small pocket along one side she found a small key, with the number 617 stamped into it, that looked like it might be to a locker, two pairs of thin fabric gloves, and a couple of old wrinkled pictures of a tiny blond infant.

She carefully put everything back the way she found it and replaced the dusting of powder on the locks and handle.

She went over the apartment one more time. This time she was looking specifically for fingerprints. She checked every surface that he could possibly have touched. There was not a single fingerprint to be found, anywhere. She thought about the two pairs of gloves. This was beyond just paranoid. This guy did not want to be noticed or identified. Now Diana was seriously beginning to worry.

After one more, quick, scan of the apartment for any scrap of information, Diana gave up and left. She still didn't know who the man really was or why he was following Catherine but this guy was not an amateur and he was armed. Most important, he had seen Vincent. Cathy wasn't going to like this at all.

~ o ~

At lunch Diana, Dennis, Jenny and Catherine were again together in the café. The bearded man was also there again at the news stand across the street. Diana told them everything that she had found out. Catherine got very upset when she heard about the references to Vincent. That pretty much eliminated the use of the police. When Diana told them the name that the man had registered under, Catherine jumped as if she had been burned, dropping her glass of tea. All the color drained from her face as in a low hoarse almost whisper, she uttered two words that sent a shock through the rest of them. "Gabriel's Father?" There was dead shocked silence at the table as the waiter quickly cleaned up the mess.

After the waiter left, Diana was the first to speak. "There is a similarity in the names and it would explain both the paranoia and the interest in you and Vincent, but there is no way to know for sure." She looked over at Dennis and squeezed his hand. "Your mother is the only one I know of who might be able to identify him."

"No!" Catherine exclaimed. "I don't want Jennifer anywhere near him. We will just have to find another way."

After a little more discussion it was decided that the only option was to confront the bearded man themselves tonight.

When Catherine got back to work she told Joe about the bearded man, what Diana had learned about him, and what they had decided to do. Joe insisted that he was going to be there, too, when they finally confronted that man. He also suggested that it might be a good idea to have Vincent hidden somewhere nearby just in case he was needed. The large number of twenty-two's, that Diana had found, bothered Joe a lot. Joe also added that if this man turned out to be who they suspected then Vincent would have a vested interest in being there.

All the rest of the day Catherine fretted about the situation. An hour before leaving work she called home. Elder Jennifer answered the phone and put Vincent on. Catherine explained the plan to him and what they suspected.

~ o ~

It was about three hours after Catherine had arrived home and the bearded man had settled himself to watch her place again. The front door opened and the man became alert. Catherine Chandler came out of her brownstone and headed straight toward the man's position. After a couple of second's hesitation the bearded man started retreating. He had only gone about a dozen yards when two men, Joe Maxwell and Dennis McCormick, stepped out of the bushes blocking his path. He turned to the right only to find his path blocked by Jenny Aronson and a large unknown black man dressed in multiple layers of patched clothing. He turned the other way to find his way blocked by the unidentified red head that he had seen with Catherine Chandler and another only slightly smaller man in patched clothing. Catherine arrived blocking his last avenue of retreat. He was now effectively hemmed in with no place to go.

As Catherine looked at the bearded man she felt there was something strangely familiar about him. She looked closer trying to place him. Despite his gray beard his face was too smooth for his apparent age.

Diana spoke first. "Who are you and what are you after?" She demanded.

After a few seconds, the man recovered. "I'm just walking through the park and you have no right to stop me. This is harassment." There was a lot of querulous old man bluster in his voice.

Catherine's eyes suddenly got very wide. "Aaron Neal!" The bearded man reacted to that name almost as though she had struck him. He started looking nervously around as though looking for any kind of escape route.

Dennis looked confused. "Who?"

"What?" Joe and Diana both responded with surprise.

"You're Aaron Neil, Naomi's father." Catherine insisted. "You were reported dead." She continued. "What happened to you and why are you following me?" She demanded.

The man looked around defiantly at the ones that had him surrounded then with a shrug he gave in to the inevitable. "I was abducted from the Witness Protection Program by Geonelly's men. It was Geonelly's men that killed my family. They shot me and dropped me into the Hudson but I managed to survive and escape from the weight they had chained me to. They thought I was dead and I have been in hiding ever since."

A light dawned and Catherine blurted out her deduction. "You're the one that's been supplying all those anonymous tips on the Geonelly gang."

As Joe stared at him in surprise, Aaron responded with some heat. "And why not. They killed my family and ruined my life. This was the best way I could think of to pay them back for what they've done to me."

After a moment Catherine continued. "That still doesn't explain why you've been following me."

He looked around again and then faced Catherine. "I had heard rumors that my daughter was still alive and about three months ago I heard that you had her." Again he glanced around at his captors. "I just wanted to see her one more time to assure myself that she really was alive, but I didn't want her to see me or know that I was still alive. I didn't want anyone to know I was alive. Once I had seen that she was OK, I was going to disappear from her life forever." He shook his head. "I will probably have to spend the rest of my life in hiding, or on the run, or in prison and she is much better off with someone like you than with me."

Catherine reacted with surprise. "You don't want her back?"

"Of course I want her back!" He shot back at her heatedly. He took a few seconds to calm himself down then continued. "I didn't become a part of Gabriel's organization because I was one of the good guys, and in the end, it cost me everything. As much as I want her with me, I would rather my daughter grow up without the taint of my very sordid past to get in her way." He hung his head. "I only wanted to see for myself that she was alive and doing OK."

"And after you've seen her, you will go away and not bother her again?" Joe asked suspiciously.

Aaron looked at Joe in surprise. "You mean you will allow me to leave?" He glanced around. "I can promise you that after I have seen that she is safe and happy, I will disappear from your lives and neither you nor she will ever see me again."

Joe looked at Catherine. He knew that if he took this man into custody, which he had every right to do, it could cause no end of problems for Catherine and her family, and just killing him outright was out of the question. Catherine had a pretty good idea what Joe was thinking and nodded her understanding and acceptance of whatever he decided.

At Catherine's nod, Joe continued, thinking carefully as he spoke. "We would prefer if there was no contact between you and Naomi. The emotional trauma would not be good for her . . . But . . . If you will be at the park carousel, day after tomorrow at sunset you will be able to see Naomi." He eyed the man coldly. "Double cross us and I guarantee that you will regret it."

"I understand." Aaron replied gazing steadily back at Joe. Then he shifted his gaze to Catherine. "I know she will be much safer with you than she could ever be with me." He glanced at the others then leaned towards Catherine and lowered his voice. "I believe that you can better protect her because I've seen the guardian that watches over you."

They all knew about his having once seen Vincent but his last statement still shocked them. For several seconds there was dead quiet as Aaron took in everyone else's reactions. He was surprised to find that they all seemed to know what he was talking about. Then Vincent stepped out of the darkness and Aaron's jaw nearly hit the ground. His mouth snapped shut and he swallowed hard trying to control his fear. The creature was far more frightening up close than when he had seen it from halfway across the park.

Vincent spoke quietly but forcefully. "I promise you that, as long as I am alive, I will do everything in my power to protect Naomi. I was the one that caught her when she was thrown from that car and I have become very fond of her. She is like my own daughter to me." Then he raised his hood and quickly backed off, disappearing into the shadows.

After recovering from their surprise, they all stepped back and allowed, the clearly subdued, Aaron to leave. Unnoticed, Vincent and Geoffrey followed him. At the edge of the park Vincent dropped away and Kipper joined Geoffrey. Together they followed Aaron back to his apartment and took turns keeping watch throughout the night

~ o ~

A short time later they were gathered in the brownstone parlor. Joe spoke first as soon as Vincent entered. "Why did you do that?"

Diana added. "I was going to ask the same thing."

"That man was totally sincere in everything he said out there." Vincent explained. "He wants his daughter back so bad he can taste it." He paused long enough to let that sink in. "However, even more than that, he wants the last surviving member of his family to be safe and happy." He put his arm around Catherine. "According to Diana, he had already seen me. I just wanted him to understand that I am around and just as dedicated to protecting Naomi as Catherine is."

"But can he be trusted to stay away from Naomi and leave your family alone after he has seen her?" Diana asked.

Vincent paused a moment and squeezed Catherine's hand. "Yes, for the most part, I believe that in this he can be trusted. He really cares about his daughter, and the thought of being separated from her hurts him, but he was telling the truth when he said that he felt she was better off as far from him as possible." He paused to think before continuing. "He **was** telling the truth, but he was also holding back. I think that if he were ever to become totally convinced that it was completely safe for him to take her away, he would. Also when he used the words 'safe and happy', he meant them as specific conditions for his absence. I just let him know that I would be right there if he should ever try to do anything."

Diana assured Catherine. "We will make sure that there are plenty of friends through-out the area so that he won't be able to pull anything while you and Naomi are at the carrousel."

_**Continued in Part 11**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	11. The More Things Change

**Much Ado About Everything****  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
**

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**Chapter ****11 : The More Things Change**

During the next two days, several of the helpers and some of the older tunnel kids had been keeping tabs on the gray bearded man that had turned out to be Naomi's natural father. For the most part he had remained close to his apartment. The only exception was the previous afternoon, when he had taken a taxi to the park where he carefully scouted out the area around the carousel. About an hour before sundown he had returned to the carousel and settled into a place where he could see the whole area but would himself be unnoticeable.

Diana and Joe both took up positions close by, where they could easily keep their eyes on the bearded man. Several helpers and a couple of friends of Catherine's from the police department were placed around the area so that Naomi would never be out of view.

A half hour later Catherine and Dennis arrived with Naomi in tow. They stopped and bought a bright orange balloon from a street vender and tied it to Naomi's wrist then Catherine took her onto the carousel. Naomi took several rides then she and Catherine got cotton candy and went over to watch a street performer, he was doing the living statue routine, for a little while. Naomi would giggle in delight each time the performer moved, startling a passerby. After that they sat on a park bench with Dennis for a while, talking and laughing. Finally Catherine took Naomi back to the carousel and they rode it until it closed. After that Dennis escorted them to the street where they caught a horse drawn carriage and headed back home.

After Naomi had been put to bed, Catherine, Joe, Diana, Dennis and Vincent sat in the breakfast nook. "So what happened?" Catherine asked. "I never saw him. I was afraid to take my eyes off of Naomi."

Diana answered. "Well, he watched until after the cotton candy. At least five or six times he got up and I swear he was fighting the urge to run over to Naomi. Even without Vincent's gift I could tell that it was killing him to be keeping his distance like that. I think it was only through a great deal of willpower that he kept himself in check. More than once I swear that there were tears in his eyes, especially when you two were sitting on the bench eating the last of the cotton candy and laughing." She paused. "Just about the time you went back onto the carousel, he left rather quickly. I think he just couldn't stand it any longer and had to leave."

The next morning Naomi's father had disappeared. No one saw him leave, but the apartment was cleared out and he was nowhere to be found. Two days later a package appeared in the mail addressed to Catherine. In the box she found a locker key and a standard drugstore thank-you card. All it said was 'locker 617 – Grand Central Station' and it was signed A.N.

~ x x x x x ~

The next day Joe went to that locker and it opened with the key. Inside was a small pink suitcase with the picture of a Barbie doll on the side. Inside the case was a box with some jewelry in it, several pictures of Naomi and her original family, a gold wedding and engagement ring set, and a light brown slightly worn teddy bear. There was also a slip of paper with the address of a Post Office box in San Diego California and the notation 'In case of emergency' on it.

~ x x x x x ~

For several months, after the disappearance of Naomi's father, Catherine's network of friends looked for Aaron Neil, but he had vanished into thin air. Joe continued to get occasional anonymous tips about the remnants of the Geonelly gang. With each tip, more of the gang's operations were uncovered and broken up. The gang's legal defenses were falling apart and their lawyers had run out of both funds and delaying tactics. The trial was now finally in full swing and quickly became a media circus.

Catherine talked to Laura and Remington in L.A. and asked them to keep a discrete watch on the San Diego Post Office box for her. Once a day, an intern from a local law firm stopped by to check the box. There was never anything in it. That looked like a dead end for now and Catherine didn't want to jeopardize loosing her one tangible link to Naomi's natural father or antagonize him into any unfortunate actions. After three weeks, she had the surveillance withdrawn for the present.

~ x x x x x ~

Catherine was reading a small article about Thomas Johnson that had been clipped from the Times. It stated that Thomas was up for several major journalism awards as a result of his expose' of the rogue C.I.A. faction and his coverage of the bringing down of the Geonelly gang. Attached to the clipping was a short, hand written, note.

_**Cathy,**_

_**I owe you big. Thanks!**_

_** T. Johnson**_

Over the last several months Thomas Johnson had become a regular visitor to the office as he followed the Geonelly Gang trials. Geonelly and most of his top men had been put away but there were dozens of smaller pieces of his empire that were still being dealt with. This mess was nearly as big as the Gabriel corruption mess of a couple of years ago.

Thomas would often stop by to say hello to Catherine and ask about her family. Her answer was always a noncommittal, "We're all doing just fine." It had almost become a running joke between them, each referring to the big secret without directly referring to it.

Catherine looked up to see Thomas making his regular visit and sighed with resignation. Then she noticed Misty Spirco trailing right behind him and she looked like she was in very good spirits.

"Good day 'Miss' Chandler." Now-a-days Thomas had a tendency to add just the slightest extra inflection to the word 'Miss' whenever he greeted her. "Anything new today?"

Though the greeting was fairly standard, there was an unusual glint in his eye. Catherine felt a hint of curiosity. The look she saw in his eyes had always preceded the kind of very pointed, and often uncomfortable, question that politicians and public servants tried to avoid. "I don't have anything new for you Mister Johnson." She shrugged. "You know how it is around here. Anything new with you?" She stared back at him waiting for whatever bomb he was about to drop on her, and hoping it didn't put her on too much of a spot.

"Misty and I are getting married." He replied as he took hold of Misty's hand.

Catherine stared at them stunned for several seconds. This was the last thing she had expected. Finally she blinked and tried to collect herself. "Um . . . Ah . . . I, ah . . . Congratulations."

Thomas chuckled then glanced around to see if anyone else was near enough to overhear. "Just thought we should let you know since, in a way, it was because of you and Vincent that we met." Thomas gave her a quick wink. "Don't forget that you owe me the exclusive if you and Vincent ever decide to come out of the closet." With another wink he turned to Misty and she handed him two packages. "These are birthday presents for the twins. I checked at the hall of records and Jennifer's birthday is day after tomorrow so I assume Jacob's is as well."

Catherine accepted the gifts with a combination of surprise and gratitude. "Thank-you." She paused a moment. "We are having a few friends in-the-know over Friday evening to celebrate. You two are invited, if you're interested."

Thomas glanced at Misty. "We would both be honored."

"Good, I'll look forward to seeing you then. The party starts at eight." She paused then grinned. "No reporting allowed."

"Spoil sport." He grinned back and left with his arm around Misty.

Catherine stared after them for a while. She had to admit that she and Vincent did owe him a lot for keeping his word and their secret. Letting him in on the big CIA corruption bust story had been a small part of that repayment. Hopefully some day they would be able to repay that debt in full.

~ x x x x x ~

The twins' first birthday party was a minor success. Misty brought Katrina. At first she was a little unsure about putting her daughter in the playpen with Jacob, but it soon became apparent that she was enjoying playing with the twins.

Elliot and Victoria were there as well as Joe and Sammy, Jenny, Nancy, Diana and Dennis. Even Agent James McClendon had showed up, though he was mostly interested in Jenny.

Thomas was well aware who James was, because of the major cases he had been involved in over the last three years. He was quite surprised to find that a major figure in the FBI was in on the secret of Vincent.

~ x x x x x ~

Catherine's desk was piled with folders. The Geonelly trials had all ended successfully and the bad guys had been put away for a long time. Unfortunately the paperwork from those trials would be haunting her for days. Her phone rang. Catherine groaned as she set down the file she was working on and picked up the phone. The whole day had been one interruption after another. "New York District Attorney's Office, Catherine Chandler speaking."

"Cathy, it's Jenny." Came a familiar voice over the phone.

Catherine's best friend, Jenny had lately been making a lot of trips to Washington D.C. to see a certain F.B.I. agent that they both knew. Catherine suspected that the relationship was becoming pretty serious.

"Jenny, I thought you were in D.C. this week."

"I am. Cathy . . . James asked me today. . ." There was a moment of silence. "James and I are engaged!"

There was a short period of typical celebratory reactions. Joe came over to see what the commotion was about and was given the big news. He raised his voice slightly. "Congratulations Jenny." Then to Catherine he asked, "When is the big event going to be?"

Jenny responded. "We are hoping to do it in two months." Catherine relayed the information to Joe.

"Cathy, James and I do have one request. Will you be my Maid of Honor?"

After a moments pause Catherine responded. "I would be delighted to, Jenny. Just tell me when and where."

"That's great. We still are trying to decide on a date and place. It will probably be here in D.C."

"I will be there. By the way you'll never guess who else is getting married."

"Who?"

"That reporter, Thomas Johnson."

"You're kidding." Jenny laughed. "Who to?"

"Misty Spirco. I just found out two weeks ago."

"I should have expected that." Jenny laughed again. "I'll let you know as soon as we set a date and tell Joe that he and Sammy are invited."

"I'll do that."

~ x x x x x ~

Catherine looked around at the Capital mall. It had been years since she had last visited Washington D.C. Joe, Sammy and Naomi were here with her and they were enjoying a relaxing day touring the city. Nancy and Paul had also come down with their children for the wedding. Lee and Amanda Stetson were also with them and acting as unofficial tour guides. The day after tomorrow was Jenny's wedding and the next night after that, they would be flying back to New York. Though she could feel Vincent over their link, she missed him and the twins.

Later that evening they all had diner at Amanda's place. Amanda's mother, Dorothy, wanted to hear every detail of the birth of her twin sister's new baby. It had been a long labor and a difficult delivery but, despite her age, Abigail and her new son were doing fine.

Then Lee dropped a surprise bombshell on Catherine. "You remember Steven, the C.I.A. analyst that first broke the rogue faction case?"

Catherine responded expectantly. "Yes I remember. He stumbled onto my family secret while hiding out in New York."

"He is an excellent analyst, but is currently out of favor over at the C.I.A., so I hired him away. He works for Q-branch, now, in the situation analysis department. It's nice to have another person around that we can shoot the breeze with about Vincent and your family."

~ o ~

Catherine glanced around the small chapel at the other members of the rehearsal party. James's best man and groomsmen, like James himself, looked every inch the self possessed FBI agents. Catherine recognized all three of them as having been involved in the UN spy ring raids several years ago. All three of them clearly remembered her.

She glanced over at James's parents who had come all the way from Florida and decided that James definitely favored his mother. Jenny's parents had flown in this morning and looked just a little bit dazed.

Rebecca had also flown in this morning all the way from California. She and Nancy, as bridesmaids, balanced out the wedding party. The four musketeers were once again back together. This was the first time all four of the long time friends had been together since Rebecca's birthday party over four years ago.

Finally the rehearsal was over and it was off to the rehearsal dinner. Naomi had become totally enthralled by James and at one point declared the she was going to be an FBI agent when she grew up. Catherine, Rebecca and Nancy, who had been friends since childhood, smiled at each other, remembering some of their career plans at that age.

Talk eventually came around to Rebecca's wedding a year and a half ago. Catherine had been unable to go because she was in the last trimester of her pregnancy and had developed a complication.

Rebecca knew about the birth of Jennifer and was curious. "Cathy, tell me. What ever happened with that guy, Vincent, you called out for the night of my birthday party?"

Catherine leaned in close along with Nancy and Jenny. "I married him, but you can't tell anyone. He is Jennifer's father."

"What?" Rebecca was so surprised by this revelation that she nearly fell out of her seat.

"Since you are spending a couple of days with Nancy after the wedding, I thought it was about time I introduced you to him." Catherine glanced around at Jenny and Nancy's surprised looks. "I talked with Vincent about it the night before I flew down and he approved."

"Why didn't you bring him to DC with you?" Rebecca asked.

"That's part of the secret." Catherine responded. "You'll understand when you meet him."

Rebecca noticed that both Nancy and Jenny were nodding in agreement. She was ready to burst with curiosity about Catherine's mysterious Vincent, but they had made it clear that she would just have to wait until they returned to New York.

~ x x x x x ~

Jenny was so beautiful in her bridal gown. Catherine looked over her friend and smiled. She was so happy for Jenny, the last of the four musketeers to finally get married. Nancy and Rebecca both looked good in their bridesmaids' outfits. At least Jenny had chosen something that really could be worn, without embarrassment, as normal formal clothes after the wedding was over.

Catherine cringed momentarily when that thought reminded her of the abomination Nancy's mother had chosen. The ritual burning of those three dresses, the day after the wedding, had been a particularly gleeful affair.

Then it was time. Rebecca, then Nancy, then Catherine started down the aisle. Finally Jenny stepped out and followed her three best friends down the aisle toward her future, which was currently standing at the front of the chapel. Catherine was so happy for her close friend, though she knew she would miss her now that Jenny would be living in Washington D.C.

~ x x x x x ~

Nancy, Rebecca and Catherine sat together in the back of first class on the plane back to New York. Joe, Sammy and Naomi were in the seats directly in front of them. Catherine had filled Rebecca in on how she had met Vincent and some details of their life together. She had not told her about the tunnels or about Vincent's appearance.

"OK, I get that you are keeping the marriage secret because of the secrecy surrounding Vincent, but I still don't understand why all the secrecy about Vincent." Rebecca shook her head.

"It's all tied up with Vincent's appearance. If the wrong people found out about him he might be killed, or, worse, locked up in some government laboratory for the rest of his life." Catherine explained.

Rebecca glanced uncertainly back and forth between her two friends. "You, two, make it sound almost like he is some type of space alien."

Catherine and Nancy glanced at each other and shrugged then Catherine responded. "We don't think he is. We found his mother a year ago and she is fairly normal."

As Rebecca stared at Catherine in surprise, Naomi popped up from the back of the seat in front of Rebecca. "Daddy is not a space alien. He's a lion-man." She stated flatly.

Rebecca stared at Naomi as both Catherine and Nancy broke out in giggles.

_**Continued in Part 12**_

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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	12. The More They Stay the Same

**Much Ado About Everything****  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
**

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* * *

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**Chapter 12 : The More They Stay the Same**

Rebecca felt a strong sense of nostalgia as the cab pulled up before the old brownstone. As children, she, Nancy and Cathy had spent a lot of time in that home. The owner had been a very close friend of Cathy's parents. In college, after Jenny had joined their group, it had become a favorite hangout for the four of them. Now the place belonged to Cathy. It had been years since the last time she had been here. That had been when the four friends had met here to celebrate Cathy passing the bar.

As they mounted the steps, Rebecca again thought about Naomi's assertion that Vincent was a lion-man. Even more puzzling was the way both Nancy and Cathy had reacted to that declaration and her own alien remark. The whole idea was so absurd. At the same time her mind kept wandering back to the wild tales that had been going around since college, and the many discussions they had engaged in, about the Central Park Creature. It was supposed to look like a cross between a lion and a human. Cathy had always been the most skeptical of the four. Jenny had been most inclined to believe that there might be some substance to the stories. Rebecca and Nancy were unsure but tended to side with Cathy on the subject.

As they entered the still familiar brownstone parlor, Rebecca's attention was drawn to two children playing together over near the fireplace. A second later her knees got wobbly and her purse hit the floor. Her chin would have hit the floor too if it could have opened that wide. Both children turned and, with big grins, began toddling unsteadily towards them. One of them really did look like a cross between a lion and a human. As Rebecca stood there, her mouth hanging open, Cathy knelt down, scooped both of them into her arms and gave them both a shower of kisses and hugs.

After a few seconds Catherine looked up at Rebecca. "These are my other two children, Jacob and Jennifer. And for the record, they're twins."

At that moment Naomi hollered out. "Daddy, we're home!"

As Catherine gave Naomi a reproving look for yelling in the house, a very sexy, very male, voice that sent a delicious tingle up Rebecca's spine came down from the direction of the spiral staircase. "I know, honey. I'll be down in just a moment."

Rebecca finally closed her mouth as her attention had now shifted to the, very large, heavily booted, figure coming down the stairs. Then his hands came into view on the handrail and she blinked as she took in the clawed furry hands that matched those of the half-lion child embraced in Cathy's arms. As he approached the bottom of the stairs and his face came into view, Rebecca's jaw again fell open and her eyes nearly bugged out at the sight. Then she blurted out, "My God, Cathy, you married the Creature of Central Park!"

Naomi giggled as she rushed into Vincent's arms. Vincent swept her up as he chuckled at Rebecca's surprised comment. Nancy also giggled as Catherine, with a quick laugh responded. "As a matter of fact, Becky, I did."

"Good afternoon, Rebecca." He again spoke in that incredible voice that went right through her making her knees go weak again. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Catherine has told me so much about your adventures together." The creature set Naomi down and Cathy was immediately deep in his embrace. "Welcome home, Catherine." He told Cathy softly, his voice fairly caressing her name. Rebecca felt overwhelmed by the obvious love that radiated from the two of them.

Vincent and Catherine moved towards the sofa group as Naomi took charge of the two toddlers. Vincent spoke to them. "Come join us. I am dying to get to know the fourth musketeer." With a chuckle, Nancy began guiding a still stunned Rebecca over to the sofa as Vincent and Catherine settled in the love seat.

For the first couple of minutes, Rebecca could only stare, speechless at the honest to goodness Creature of Central Park, come to tangible life and seated with his arm around Cathy not six feet away from her. Meanwhile Nancy related a very humorous version of her first meeting with Vincent. Finally Rebecca emerged from her stunned state and, after a few conversational forays by Vincent and Catherine, soon became comfortable in his presence and joined in the conversation. Rebecca found herself moved to tears as she finally learned the full story of what had really happened the time Cathy was mugged and disappeared for ten days. She was also very moved by the story of Vincent's birth and the eventual reunion with his mother.

~ x x x x x ~

It had been six months since Jenny's wedding and life had pretty much returned to normal. Catherine was back on domestic law cases. Joe was complaining about the excessive workload and the lack of sufficient staff. Diana was on the trail of a serial kidnapper. The import/export company that Sammy was now working for had been growing and had relocated to new offices in the World Trade Center towers. The twins were growing like weeds. Father and Vincent's mother were becoming very close.

Catherine was digging through a file cabinet when Joe came up and started digging through another cabinet, all the while grumbling unintelligibly under his breath. One of the few words she could catch was 'damn cockroaches'.

"What's up, Joe?" She asked.

Joe shook his head. "I thought we would get a little bit more of a respite after we busted up the Geonelly gang."

"What happened?"

"Three suspected pimps and five low level drug dealers turned up dead this morning and word on the street is that someone is trying to take over the vice industry in the city." Joe shoved the drawer shut. "I should have known it was too good to last."

Catherine shook her head as she headed back to her desk. Just as she sat down her phone rang. "What now?" She muttered as she picked up the receiver. "District Attorney's Office, Catherine Chandler speaking."

~ o ~

Catherine checked her watch as she began cleaning up her desk. "Leaving on time for a change?" Joe inquired as he came out of his office with his coat on.

Catherine glanced at Joe in surprise. "Actually I have an appointment to see Doctor Peter this evening. Looks like you're getting ready to leave as well." She shot back.

Now it was Joe's turn to look surprised. "Sammy and I also have an appointment with Doctor Alcott this evening." Now Catherine was curious. She was supposed to be getting the results of her semi-annual check-up, although she was wondering why Peter had scheduled it for after office hours.

Joe thought a moment. "As long as we all seem to be heading for the same place, you're welcome to ride with Sammy and me."

A few minutes later Joe, Sammy and Catherine arrived at Peter's office. It was after hours and the office was closed but Peter was waiting at the door for them. Catherine was surprised when she sensed, through her bond with Vincent, that he was already inside and very curious.

Peter sat all four of them down in his office.

"What's up, Peter?" Catherine asked.

"I got both of you in here because I got both of your reports back from the lab this morning." Peter paused as a grin spread across his face. "Sammy your test came back positive, Cathy your blood test came back positive as well."

Sammy and Joe jumped up and hugged each other. Catherine blinked twice before she caught on. A half moment later Vincent also caught on. "I'm pregnant?" She blurted out as Peter's grin got wider. "You both are." Peter confirmed grinning from ear to ear.

~ o ~

Just as Vincent and Catherine arrived back at the brownstone, accompanied by Joe, Sammy and Peter, the phone rang. Catherine dropped her things on the coffee table and grabbed the phone. "Chandler Residence."

"Cathy, it's Jenny." Responded the familiar voice.

"Jenny." Catherine immediately brightened. "What's up?"

"James just got a big promotion. They have put him in charge of the entire New York Division. We will be moving back to New York at the end of the month."

"That's wonderful. Congratulations. By the way I have some news as well." Catherine paused dramatically; glancing at Joe and Sammy, then threw in her bombshell. "Sammy and I are both pregnant"

Sammy got on the kitchen extension and there were the usual giggles and exclamations as they all talked about their good news. They exchanged some gossip and Catherine told Jenny that she would be on the lookout for a good apartment for them. Then Naomi came down stairs, quickly caught on to what all the excitement was about, and joined in on the celebrations.

Joe and Vincent stood there in the parlor grinning at each other in amusement over the girl's antics and their own good fortunes.

~ x x x x x ~

Two weeks later Catherine lay propped up on the examination table as Peter pointed out various features on the ultrasound screen image. "I would say based on this, that everything is developing normally and that you are at about 13 weeks."

Catherine chuckled. "At lunch today, Sammy told me that you told her the exact same thing when you did her checkup yesterday."

"It's true. Right now I would say that it's a horse race, who will deliver first." Peter grinned as he shut down the machine.

"I'm not quite sure, but I think you just compared me to a horse." Catherine glared at him, the corners of her mouth twitching as she tried to suppress a laugh.

"Only in so far as, being healthy as . . ." Peter shot back as he wiped the jell off of her.

~ x x x x x ~

One and a half weeks later, Catherine was on the phone to Jenny. "I found you and James an apartment."

"Oh Cathy, that's so wonderful of you. James and I have been too busy the last three weeks to even look. Where is it?"

"It's a three bedroom on the fourteenth floor of the same building you were living in before."

"The Central Park West building?" Jenny asked.

"That's the one." Catherine confirmed. "I know that it's larger than you need but I can guarantee that the rent is reasonable." Catherine elaborated with a grin. Since she owned the building, it was not an empty guarantee.

"Actually it might be a good thing at that." There was a pause then Jenny continued. "We just found out yesterday that I'm eleven weeks pregnant." She laughed. "I guess after hearing the news about you and Sammy, I just couldn't stand to be left out of all the fun. The next six months should be interesting."

There were the usual squeals and giggles as they both talked and gushed about their good news. Catherine told Jenny that she and James could move in right away as soon as they arrived in New York since the apartment was fully furnished."

~ x x x x x ~

Joe watched Catherine as she passed through the office on her way back from lunch. The last few weeks she had been wearing baggier than usual clothing. After she had settled in, he called her into his office.

As she entered, Joe closed the door, and she looked at him curiously. "What's up Joe?"

Joe sat on the edge of his desk and smiled. "You know, Radcliffe, you won't be able to keep this up much longer if you want to keep it secret." Joe cocked his head. "Or have you already found out it's a girl?"

Catherine shook her head as she shrugged. "No, we don't know yet. It's just the last time I took a long leave, I came back with a daughter. If I take another long break, everyone will assume that I'm pregnant again. I was waiting as long as I could and hoped I could come up with a better story."

Joe thought a moment then suggested. "You could go ahead and leave it unexplained like last time, then if it's a boy I could always just say that you were on a special assignment." He chuckled. "Either way I think you should start your leave soon before the reason becomes too obvious."

"You're right, Joe." She looked down at herself then shrugged and grinned back. "I guess I had better go ahead and schedule my leave pretty soon."

"Good, I've got you scheduled to begin your leave of absence after next week."

~ x x x x x ~

Catherine, Jenny and Sammy had gone on a shopping spree together, looking for baby stuff. Now they were loaded down and hungry. They spotted a nice restaurant across the street and headed for it.

Thomas Johnson was having lunch with Misty when he spotted Catherine and two other women entering the restaurant together. The second thing he noticed was that all three of them were wearing very loose fitting clothing. The third thing he noticed was the store names on the bags they were all three carrying when the hostess seated them at a table next to his.

He shifted his chair over and glanced at the three of them. "Good afternoon 'Miss' Chandler . . . ladies. Looks like you've had a busy morning."

Catherine replied. "Hello, Mr. Johnson." She indicated the other two women. "These are my friends, Jenny McClendon and Sammy Maxwell." She grinned at him. "Girls, this is Thomas Johnson, reporter and general pest." As Misty shifted into the empty chair at their table, Catherine added. "And Misty Johnson."

Greetings were exchanged then Thomas continued. "So, 'Miss' Chandler, are you on another undercover investigation, like the last time, or is it something different this time?"

Catherine smiled back. "It all depends on the outcome, Mister Johnson." Misty giggled at the puns being exchanged between her husband and Catherine.

"Well I'll be curious to hear how it all comes out." He shot back with a knowing grin.

As the waiter showed up to take Thomas and Misty's orders it was decided to combine the two parties at Catherine's table.

~ x x x x x ~

Catherine was well into her sixth month, and Catherine, Vincent and Vincent's mother were in Vincent's old chamber talking about the upcoming big event. Catherine was talking. "Peter did an ultrasound yesterday. He told me that everything is developing normally and there's no doubt that it's a boy."

"That's wonderful." Elder Jennifer gushed. "Any ideas for his name yet?"

Catherine replied. "We have ideas, but . . ."

They were interrupted when Vincent suddenly became very alert. "Did you feel that tremor?" An instant later they were all aware of a very light sprinkle of dust drifting down from the ceiling.

"What could have caused that?" Jennifer asked nervously.

"I'm not sure." Vincent replied. "It was very faint and it didn't feel like anything I have ever experienced before."

They were interrupted by a flurry of urgent messages that were flying through the pipes. Jennifer was not very conversant in pipe code and only got about a third of the message. "Cave-in . . . south . . . injuries . . . What happened?"

"There has been a massive cave-in at the south end of the maze." Catherine responded. "There were a few minor scrapes and bruises suffered by a couple of sentries that were stationed in the southern end of the home tunnels." She paused. "Two more reports of cave-ins near the southern border of the home tunnels."

"Is that what you felt?" Jennifer asked.

Vincent shook his head. "No, cave-ins that far away would be too faint for me to feel. What I felt was more sudden, more of an impact than the kind of rumble created by a cave-in."

"Is there any danger for us here?" Jennifer asked.

Vincent placed his hand against the nearest wall and closed his eyes for a few seconds. The ground feels stable; there aren't any more tremors. I think we're safe but I would like to know what happened." He paused to listen to the pipes. "We're getting reports of some type of explosion somewhere near the south end of Manhattan." He grabbed his cloak. "Why don't you head up to the brownstone? Maybe you can get more news on what happened. I need to go to the south end of the tunnels and check on the damage." He swiftly exited the chamber.

~ o ~

Vincent entered the brownstone parlor that evening. The television was on showing an image of the World Trade Towers. Joe and Sammy Maxwell were also there. "Have you heard what happened?" He asked as he approached Catherine.

"The best we can tell from the news, someone set off a huge bomb in the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center." Catherine replied. "They think it may be a fertilizer bomb like the car bombs used in the Middle East." She shook her head. "There is still a lot of confusion and the speculation is all over the map but it is beginning to look like it was a terrorist attack."

Joe asked Vincent. "How are things below?"

Vincent responded. "The damage was minimal in the inhabited areas of the tunnels. There were some jangled nerves among some of those living along the southern edge of the home tunnels but no real injuries. The tunnels south of around Canal Street however are in pretty bad shape."

Joe shook his head. "I have a feeling that this is only the beginning."

~ x x x x x ~

After a relatively uneventful pregnancy Catherine went into labor. As before, Vincent was there to hold and support her through the delivery, lending his strength to her both physically and over their bond. This time it was much quicker and easier than the first time and soon she delivered a healthy baby boy. He was the image of his father, right down to the hair and eye color. Catherine snuggled back against Vincent as they admired the new addition to their family. Elder Jennifer was ecstatic, tears trailing down her cheeks as Catherine and Vincent allowed her to hold her second grandson.

Two days later, Sammy went into labor. By the third hour it had become obvious that something was wrong and when it was determined to be a breach, her baby was delivered by cesarean. Afterward Doctor Peter told her that there was a possibility that she may not be able to carry any more children. Joe assured her that it made no difference. She had given him a beautiful baby daughter and, most importantly, he had her as he wife. Life was good.

~ x x x x x ~

Two weeks after Sammy's baby was born, they were in Catherine's brownstone parlor. The parlor was packed and spilling over into the formal dining room. Only friends and family in-the-know were present for the joint naming ceremony for Sammy's daughter and Catherine's son. Standing in the small cleared space near the fireplace was Father, Joe and Sammy with their infant daughter, and Catherine and Vincent with their infant son.

James and his very pregnant wife, Jenny, were perched on the spiral stairs with Catherine's other three children. James looked around at the diverse group and wondered where they came from. He recognized a few, like Elliot Burch and his wife, as well as Doctor Peter Alcott, but most of them were unknowns that were dressed more like street people than anything else. He suspected that they were part of Catherine's mysterious network of contacts. Then there was Vincent, little two-year-old Jacob, and the new infant in Catherine's arms. A year-and-a-half ago he would have denied that anything like them could even exist. Now they were just a normal part of his life that had taken many strange turns since he first met Cathy and Jenny.

Father finished the introductory part of the naming ceremony, then Vincent spoke up. "We have named our new son Charles, in honor of Catherine's father, in the hope that he will grow up to be as good a man as his grandfather was."

When it was their turn, Sammy spoke for her and Joe. "We have named our daughter, Elizabeth, after Joe's mother. His parent's have left us a high standard to live up to. I only hope I can do half as good a job as Joe's mother did."

The ceremony was over and everyone was checking out the two infants as they exchanged comments. James glanced down at his wife, sitting on the step directly below him next to Naomi. He leaned forward and spoke to Jenny. "I really did like that little celebration. Would you like to do the same thing for our daughter after she's born?"

Jenny looked over her shoulder at her husband of just short of a year. "I would love it." She responded enthusiastically.

~ x x x x x ~

A month later Jenny's daughter was born. And the next week her daughter was introduced to the world in a ceremony that had begun in the tunnel world that James was still unaware even existed.

James looked around at the huge family room of Jenny's parent's house, where they had decided to hold their daughter's naming ceremony. Jenny's family was enthralled by the custom when she had explained it to them. Both of James sisters were also there with their families. They too were fascinated with the concept of holding a celebration to introduce the newest member of the family to all their friends and relatives. Jenny's other best friend, Nancy, was also there with her family.

Catherine stood up before the group and began the ceremony. "It has been said that the child is the meaning of this life and the happy outcome of a loving marriage. Today we celebrate the child, this new life that has been brought into our world." Catherine's eyes swept the room, then settled upon Jenny and James and their infant daughter. Jenny held the baby cuddled close to her chest her eyes shimmering with emotion. Standing beside her was James, pride and love writ large upon his face. "We welcome this child with love, that she may be able to love. We welcome this child with gifts, that she may learn generosity. And last, but not least, we welcome this child with a name." She extended her had toward her friends. "James, Jenny?"

James was the one to speak. "We have named our daughter, Rachel, in honor of her mother's, mother's, mother, that died in the madness that was Germany during the Second World War. From tragedy, her family has learned strength and compassion. Traits we hope to instill in our daughter as she grows up."

Jenny looked up to see tears in her mother's eyes.

As friends and family took turns congratulating the newly expanded family, Catherine gazed speculatively at James McClendon, sitting next to Jenny and holding their new daughter. Sometime soon they were going to have to introduce him to the tunnel community. It wasn't right or fair to expect Jenny to keep such a big secret from her husband. Maybe she could suggest that they do it at the next Winterfest, which was coming up very soon, when the whole community was shown in its best light.

Catherine smiled to herself, then she looked around at all her friends with their families. Finally she looked at her own two daughters over playing with other young children and thought about her two sons at home with their father. No matter what else happened in this world, life went on and, within her own circle at least, love always seemed to triumph in the end.

**_THE END_**

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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


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